A Match That Should Have Been
by Deathworm
Summary: Back with Episode 4. It's been a long time and I've spent much of it planning this fic out. Well, I hope it's still interesting. Let me know if you've got suggestions to improve it. Thanks!
1. Episode 0

**Author's Notes:** The little project was conceived one dark, stormy night (cliché as it may be) when I suffered a case of writer's block when writing my main work for fictionpress.com. Not willing to stand idle and waste time, I looked through some old drafts and found a plot line that I wrote some three years back. So I thought what the hell . . .

Thanks must go to Rumiko Takahashi for her brilliance and creativity in coming up with the whole Ranma ½ series. Her work, while filled set in the most zany of contexts still remains a heart-warming tale of love which is something that many of us can identify with. So once again, thanks must go to Rumiko for such a masterpiece. 

I only hope this humble work remains true to the ethos of the 'Ranmaverse' and its themes.

Episode 0: This Is A Song For The Broken-hearted 
    
    **Opening Song: Mou Nakanaide 'Don't Cry Anymore' * **

Dark clouds had gathered over Tokyo earlier in the evening, sending residents (both cursed and otherwise) scurrying for shelter. For a while there had been nothing but the ominous rumblings coming from beyond the hills.

But as soon as the sun set over Nerima, it was as if the heavens had received the long awaited signal to empty its store contents on the much-tormented town.

Quite a bit had changed in Nerima. It had grown quieter lately. While the Neighborhood Watch had gotten more adept at thwarting the efforts of arguably the most infamous underwear thief in Japan, the town council had heaved a collective sigh of relief as they realized that the destruction to public property had abated by epic proportions. No longer did residents wake up in the morning to find their walls reduced to tiny pebbles or the roofs perforated by sparring martial artists.

Ordinary people accredited the gods and fate for having intervened by putting a stop to the seemingly endless wave of mayhem that had wracked their hometown over the past few years, making Nerima a real estate agent's ultimate nightmare. And thus the people of Nerima had suddenly been struck by a rabid wave of religiosity, a revival that saw no precedent in modern Japan.

Where shattered, abandoned and dilapidated houses once stood, places of worship of every kind had been set up. That no religious conflict had emerged from this only spoke volumes of Nerima's ability to adapt. To the man on the street, seeing a procession of devout worshippers of the Lord of Raw Tuna Fish Sushi was really no different from a sudden appearance of a fifty-foot panda's battle aura confronting that of an old man's.

So ironically for hardcore residents/survivors of this beleaguered town, one could really say that the more things change, the more they remain the same.

The monsoon rains continued to pour down, sleeting off the roofs into the gutters and canals that were fast overflowing. Everyone was indoors. Well, everyone except the wackos of the Cult of the Greater Monsoon Deity, that is.

Ukyo Kounji, master okonomiyaki chef, proprietor of Ucchan's and former Ranma Saotome fiancée was reading a book. Or at least she was trying very hard to. Geometry had never been one of her strong subjects. And she had a test a week from now.

There was the wicked flash of lightning as it crackled overhead, followed quickly by the thump of thunder that made her cringe. She put the book down and sighed in frustration. She realized that her tiny transistor radio was still on. They were playing a familiar song . . . static-laced, but nonetheless recognizable.
    
    _               Machikado ga utsushi-dasu _
    
    _               Sabishige na shiruetto watashi yo _
    
    _               Sayonara no serifu ima _

Shinjirarezu ni kiita 
    
                   (Seen on the street 
    
                   A lonesome silhouette It's me 
    
                   I couldn't believe I just heard 

The line "Farewell")

She found herself humming along. The lyrics slowly coming back to her. 
    
                        _Kurakushon__ sae doramu no you ni _
    
    _               Kono mune tataki namida wo sasoi-hajimeru no rarabai_ 
    
    (Like a drum Even a Klaxon 

It taps my heart A tear-jerking lullaby)

There was something hauntingly wrong with the song. She frowned. Was it the words, was it the tune . . . Then came the chorus and she found herself singing it from memory.
    
                        _Genki__ wo dashite mou nakanaide _
    
    _               Ashita ni nareba subete kawaru wa _
    
    _               Genki wo dashite mou nakanaide _
    
    _               Atarashii kaze mukatte _
    
    _               Smile again!_ 
    
                   (Cheer up and don't cry anymore 
    
                   Once tomorrow comes everything will change 
    
                   Cheer up and don't cry anymore 
    
                   Facing new winds 

Smile again!)

_Yes_, _that was it_ . . . she thought to herself. This was a song that she had sung to herself often when she first learnt that Ranma had chosen to marry Akane even after their disastrous first attempt at a wedding.

Of all of Ranma's other suitors, she had taken it well. Better than the others. At least on the surface. She realized that she would always be Ucchan, that childhood friend of his, nothing more and nothing less. It was a realization that had crushed her inside.

The song was going into its second stanza but she couldn't bear to listen to it anymore and she turned the radio off. 

"Ukyo, you jackass," she said quietly to herself. "You should have seen this coming." 

Truth was, she had. But she had never wanted to believe it. And now she had to pay for her stubbornness. The nights since the day that Ranchan had made his decision had been incredibly hard for Ukyo. Sleep had almost been hard to come by and often did after much crying. It seemed like tonight would be no different. 

_Come on_, _Ukyo_ . . . _you're stronger than this_! She scolded herself as she got to her feet and headed out of the living room towards her bedroom. She spared a look at the family shrine and thought of her father. _Oh_, _daddy_, _I_'_ve let you down haven_'_t I_?

As if by way of answer, a particularly loud crash of thunder shook her restaurant and with a sickening suddenness, the lights in went out, leaving her stranded in the darkness. "Oh,  gimme a break. . ." Ukyo allowed her head to bang into the doorpost. "Of all the times . . ."

The circuit box was in the basement and she sighed. _I guess I can find my way to my room without lights_. _I can always restore power in the morning_. She took her first step forward and was relieved that she didn't stub her toe or anything. Apart from the sloshing rain outside, it was totally silent inside her restaurant/home. She continued to grope the sides of the doorway as she stepped into the adjacent hallway outside. 

It was dark. And impossible to see anything. She considered getting on her knees and crawling forward. While that may have looked dumb, it was probably given the circumstances, and there wasn't anyone to look anyway. Since she had allowed Konatsu to go off on some damn fool quest, there had been no one to help her pass those lonely nights at her place.

            On her knees and cursing every step of the way, she finally realized something wrong with the silence. It was just too silent. If that made any sense at all. She took a few moments to think. Something was missing.

            "Aw, hell . . . the refrigerators . . ." she groaned to herself. 

The refrigerators which she used to store her okonomiyaki ingredients were in the basement, along with the circuit box. She could do without the lights and heating, but without those refrigerators, her food stocks were going to spoil.

"Damn, damn, damn!" Ukyo swore in exasperation as she pawed her way down the corridor towards the stairs that led down to the basement. It took about five nerve-wracking minutes and numerous collisions with places that Ukyo didn't know her house had places before she reached the end of the corridor, a loud impact against a dead-end signaling her arrival.

Traversing down the stairs promised to be a painful experience and she did it backwards, feet probing cautiously step by step. She figured she was probably halfway down when she heard the first crash. It sounded like her spare utensils were cascading onto the floor and . . . running water.

_Bwee_!

_What the hell_? Ukyo recoiled in shock and realized that she really didn't have anything to lean against. The fall was a mercifully short one, her martial arts training allowing her to land with some grace, avoiding incapacitating injury. 

_Bwee_!

Ukyo frowned. That sounded familiar. She had heard that sound before. If only she could remember where. She could hear the sounds of a scuffle in front of her. There was something alive out there! 

Fighting her own fear, she felt her way around, found a wall and hugged it. Her hands searching desperately for the familiar circuit box. _It has to be here somewhere_! The scuffling was getting louder and seemingly nearer. _Come on _. . . _yes_! She wasn't sure how she did it. Somehow in the dark, she had managed to get the cover open and flick the right switches without getting electrocuted.

The lights came back on and Ukyo winced as she struggled to adjust to the sudden change in lighting. About five seconds after the power came back on, she could finally see the source of the noise. 

Staring at her were probably the largest eyes she had ever seen on a pig so small. Those eyes seem to widen at the sight of her and it made a loud, 'Bwee!' Ukyo noticed a very familiar piece of yellow and black cloth tied around the little creature though next to it sat a very unexplainable, well-worn rucksack.

Perhaps even more inexplicable was the tunnel entrance that replaced one of the walls in the basement. The storage shelf which she had installed there was gone, its contents, mostly spare pots, pans and utensils lay scattered on the wet floor around the pig. The hole had also caused a massive break in a small water pipe which was still gushing. Ukyo felt a tic on her brow. This was a  . . . disaster! She thought as she went to shut off the water, keeping her eye on the pig. 

_P-chan_, _wasn_'_t it_? Ukyo thought as she finally cut off the water supply. It was strange that she had not seen P-chan in Akane's presence in quite awhile . . . _wasn't it about the same time that Ranchan pledged his undying love for Akane and set the date for their second wedding_?

"You're P-chan, right?"

"Bwee?" The pig looked up at her with those wide eyes as she reached down to scoop him up. 

"Look at you, all soaked . . ." Ukyo regarded her newfound companion with a strange look. Her eyes strayed back to the gigantic hole in the wall. On closer observation, she realized that the tunnel had already caved in so there was no threat of further intruders. "This is kinda freaky, you know?"

"Bwee?"

"God, look at me! Talking to a pig! What's wrong with me?" Ukyo said out loud. "Guess I ought to give you a warm bath and dry you off."

"Bweee!!!!" The little pig shrieked and Ukyo could almost swear she saw gigantic sweatdrop forming on the porcine creature's tiny head. P-chan struggled to break free but Ukyo simply held on to it more tightly.

"Now, now, sweetie . . . don't go running away on me now. I'm going to get you all warmed up." Ukyo said as she began her ascent up the stairs. The pig continued to squirm as if it's life depended on it, _bweeeing_ desperately. "Aw, come on, it's just a bath." _My you're a strong little pig_, Ukyo pulled P-chan closer to her, smothering its snout in her chest

P-chan tried one last attempt to break free but it was all for naught. It managed to aim its snout into the air just a heartbeat before a it sent a spray of crimson blood spurting into the air. 

"What the . . .?" Ukyo frowned at the pig that had promptly fainted in her arms. _A pig having a nosebleed_? Now she'd seen the before, hadn't she . . . for some reason, it aroused something in the depths of her memory. But the right connections just weren't being made.

With lighting restored and the flowing water cut off, her trip to the bathroom had been easy and accident-free. It had taken a few more minutes for her to get the hot water running but once the tub was half-full, she picked up the comatose pig and tossed it into the water without another thought.

(And while readers clamored to shout words of warning to everyone's favorite okonomiyaki chef, Ukyo was rendered temporarily deaf to the cries of her fans by the cruel, pervasive fanfic author.) 

Which meant that she was obviously not prepared to see the naked form of Ryoga Hibiki, the 'Eternally Lost Boy', sitting upright in her tub. He had the look of someone who was just coming out of a coma, groaning as he tried to get his eyes to focus.

Ukyo's jaw fell open, her fingers twitched and her mind screamed bloody murder. While her mind grappled to understand how Ryoga had become so lost this time as to end up in her bathtub, her hand had already swung into his face, destroying whatever progress he had made in recovering his senses Ukyo stared at her slapping hand and winced, as if she had touched something really disgusting with it.

"Ryoga, you pervert!" Ukyo screamed as loudly as she could. "You just stay where you are, you pig (an apt insult, won't you agree?)! I'm so gonna _kill_ you!"

She rushed out of the bathroom as fast as her legs could carry her and returned with her giant battle-spatula. She really needn't have hurried since Ryoga was going nowhere in his current condition.

"_Die_!" The giant spatula came flashing down but Ryoga's instincts somehow alerted him to the danger, allowing him to roll away a split-second before Ukyo weapon sliced through the tub, cleaving it right down the middle.

"U-Ukyo . . . wait, I can explain . . ." Ukyo said, rising from the rapidly draining tub.

"Oh, for crying out loud! Put something on!" Ukyo yelled as she lunged at him with her spatula. 

"Gah!" Ryoga realized that he was standing in front of Ukyo buck-naked and made an attempted to cover up himself while dodging her attacks. "Can't we talk this over . . ."

"Time to die, you slime!" Ukyo's spatula missed the top of Ryoga's head by mere inches and he reached out and caught it one-handed, stopping it with his great strength now that he was back in his human form. 

"Please, Ukyo . . . just give me a chance to explain!"

Ukyo resisted, trying to bring the edge of her spatula down on Ryoga's head. But he was just too strong. Then she realized this was futile and she let go abruptly, letting him tumble back into the now empty tub.

She grabbed a towel from the nearby rack, noted cartoon motifs on it with mild amusement before tossing it over to Ryoga without a word. 

"Thanks," he said as he wrapped it around his waist.

"Now, you have all of thirty seconds to explain just how the hell you ended up naked in my bathtub!" She fixed him with her most menacing look.

"Ehehehe." Ryoga laughed nervously and blushed as he scratched his head. _What the hell do I tell her now_?

"I'm waiting, Ryoga." Ukyo's face was no-nonsense, and she was tapping the tiled floor impatiently with her foot. "Twenty seconds."

"Hehe . . . well, come on Ukyo . . . can't you just overlook this as a mild misunderstanding?"

"You promised. Ten seconds." Ukyo had retrieved the spatula. "Nine, eight . . ."

"Ukyo! Well, I . . . you see . . ."

"Seven . . . six . . . five  . . ."

"I DIDN'T GET LOST!"

Segue to bullet-time . . . The words reached Ukyo's ears and it took a couple of nanoseconds for her brain to process those words. And a few more so that she could actually hear and understand what had been said. It took a full second of brain-processing time for the look of bewilderment on her face to change and the implications of what Ryoga said to sink in. He was not lost. He was naked except for that piece of black and yellow cloth on his head. And there was no P-chan.

Cue sound effect: OOOOOOOOOOOOM . . . 

CLANG! The spatula came down so hard on Ryoga's head that it almost seemed as if Ukyo was intent on hammering him into the floor like a nail. The spatula bent slightly according the curvature of Ryoga's head but otherwise remained intact.

"You jackass . . ."

"What did you do that for???!!!" Ryoga was up on his feet in a flash, yelling down at her even though tears of pain flowed from his eyes and a large bump was beginning to sprout from his head. "I had a good three seconds left!"

"You . . . are . . . P-chan!"

"Fine! So now you know. Big deal . . ." Ryoga waved his hand dismissively as he got out of the tub, tightening the towel wrapped around his waist. "It's not like you've never met a cursed guy before . . ." He was heading for the doorway.

"All this time . . . when you were P-chan and Akane took you to bed . . ." The spatula hand twisted in Ukyo's grasp And Ryoga turned to see the a strange glow surrounding her. "Why you dirty . . ." He had time gulp once before the spatula came down on him again, threatening to make his cerebrum and Adam's apple meet. 

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Ryoga awoke to a world of pain. His head felt like it was on fire. His fingers dug into the floor as he tried to get up, but she felt a hand pressing gently on his chest. A familiar voice spoke to him. "I wouldn't be doing that if I were you, sugar." It was Ukyo. "You took a nasty beating on the head and you ought to get some rest."

_Sugar_? _This from a person who was responsible for damn near giving me a concussion_.

"U-Ukyo?"

"That's right, sweetie. Looks like a big shiner you got there." She winked at him slyly. "I wonder how you got that."

"Yes, I wonder too." Ryoga mumbled.

"Sorry I thumped you so hard . . . I've just been on the edge lately. Ever since, Ranma and Akane . . . well . . ."

"I know the feeling Ukyo."

"You going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll live." Ryoga winced at the pain that continue to thump away in his brain. What had this woman done to him? Split his skull? "I ought to get going."

She held him down again. "Look, I want you to stay here for the night. It's late and its still raining. Chances are you'd probably not be able to find your way out of my house at all, so why take the risk."

Ryoga squinted at his surroundings. "Where . . ."

"Been wondering when you were going to ask that, sweetie." Ukyo grinned at him. "In my room of course. You think I'd dare to let you out of my sight. I don't want to discover your corpse in some forgotten corner my restaurant two weeks from now, you know."

"Very funny."

"Now you go get some rest, you big oaf." Ukyo adjusted the blanket that she had placed over him. "And you so much as try to leave this room, I'll make sure I chain you to the floor after I catch you."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied sardonically.

"Good." And Ukyo disappeared from view. 

The light above him went out and it was suddenly very quiet. He could heard the individual raindrops landing on the roofs outside. There was something else . . .  it sounded like chanting. Something about a Greater Monsoon Demon or the likes.

Then he heard Ukyo lying down on the futon that she had spread out next to his. "Good night, Ryoga," she said as she pulled her own blanket over her body. 

"Good night, Ukyo."

"Remember, you so much as try to find the way out of this room and I will make you sure every bone and muscle in your body will never forget they day you decided not to take my advice."

"Yes, mother . . ."

"Good. Nite, then."

Ryoga lay alone in the darkness, staring at the ceiling. How he had missed the feeling of sleeping under a permanent roof. For too long, he had called his well-used tent home. Well, not tonight. He ought to thank Ukyo for that. But she was probably fast asleep by now. He could see the digital display of an alarm clock sitting on a dresser on his left. _One-thirty a_._m_. _It's going to be a long night_.

He tossed and he turned. He tried counting sheep but could only see hundreds of tiny black pigs leaping before his eyes. He tried to think of Akane, but somehow, he couldn't.
    
    "_Genki__ wo dashite mou nakanaide _(Cheer up and don't cry anymore)" He thought that was what he heard.
    
                "Ukyo?"
    
                "Hmm?"
    
                "Was that you?"
    
                Ukyo had not realized she had sung aloud. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just a song, Ryoga. Go to sleep."
    
                "Um, alright." Ryoga said hesitantly. "Um, you sure you'll be ok, Ukyo. I mean, I'm sorry about tonight. If I had . . ."
    
                "Ryoga."
    
                "Yes?"
    
                "Shut up and go to sleep before I change my answer. And then you're really going to get it, you silly jackass."
    
                "Ok."
    
                _Just a song_, Ukyo thought to herself, glancing at the sleeping form of Ryoga next to her. _Yes_, _it_'_s just a song_ . . .
    
                _Ashita__ ni nareba subete kawaru wa _
    
    _            Genki wo dashite mou nakanaide_
    
    _            Atarashii kaze mukatte_
    
    _            Smile again!_ 

            (Once tomorrow comes everything will change  

            Cheer up and don't cry anymore

            Facing new winds

            Smile again!)

            _How true_ . . . And for the first time in months, Ukyo was no longer alone in her restaurant. And she could help the smile that appeared on her face as she drifted off to a long overdue and blessedly undisturbed sleep devoid of nightmares.

**Endnotes:** Phew, that's it. The prelude episode is done. I dunno if it was worth the trouble digging out this dinosaur and rewriting it. Well, I've got my groove back for the Arcadian Conflicts (you can find it on fictionpress if you want.) So I guess it's back to writing sci-fi and war again . . . until the dreaded writer's block strikes once more. Update in 3-4 weeks.
    
    *** **The song featured in this fic is Mou Nakanaide which was the "Ranma 1/2 Nettouhen" opening theme (1991)
    
    The proper credits for this song are as follows:
    
    Singer: Senou Azusa
    
    Lyricist: Miura Noriko
    
    Composer: Hada Ichirou

Arranger: Satou Hitoshi


	2. Episode 1

**Author's Notes:** I had not anticipated being back so soon. I had thought this would be just a passing craze . . . I thought I would return to writing my sci-fi war fic. I _thought_ a brief vacation to the world of Ranma would cure me of my urge to write about the insane.

I was wrong. 

Well, this is a slightly longer episode, that's for sure. But then, I don't write short fics (3000 words is the bare minimum) so I do hope you will bear with me as I expand this into a medium length series.

Again I hope that I have managed to stay true to the vision and style of the original series.
    
    **Episode 1: One Okonomiyaki To Go . . . Or Was It Dining In?**

Dawn had broken over the land of the rising sun and even as the first lambent rays of light heralded the coming of a new day, the residents were slow to rise. The town had not known peace in ages.

The Cultists of the Greater Monsoon Deity were just beginning to leave, their night-long séance concluded, their spiritual hunger satisfied by the grand visions granted to them by their patron deity and their hearts contented that their holy vigil had kept Nerima safe from the chaotic forces of the world once more. It was a thankless job for which the heathens would never find themselves able to comprehend.

As the sun rose higher still, the first Citizen Paladins of the August Order of the Holiest Sunray were beginning to set up their mats on the roofs of building across the town. Donning on sunglasses and their glossy black robes, they turned to face the east, preparing for the daunting task ahead. They would absorb every last bit of the sun's precious, all-healing rays and return to their various neighborhoods in the evening, hoping to spread that sunshine, along with its 'magical' properties to their families and neighbors. 

The Invid Sensor Nebula would eventually pick up these irregularities and conclude that the human race were only beginning to turn to widespread use of solar power and the Regis had made a note to make Tokyo one of its first targets should a planetary invasion ever be necessary. Of course, scholars of the Robotech Wars are wont to point out several years later that the Zentraedi had made the same conclusion when they carried out their cataclysmic bombardment of Earth many years later, having beaten the Invid to the punch. The Nerima district had been pounded into atoms by one of the most intense fusillades of reflex weaponry unleashed by Dolza's millions-strong fleet. (For readers who haven't a clue what that was all about, I'm also a Robotech/Macross fan. For those who do care about that, I know I got the dateline and the details wrong. SDF-1 should have crash-landed by now. I alone am responsible for the reprehensible attempt at combining these two series)

At the Tendo Dojo location of the recently renamed Tendo/Saotome Amalgamated School of Indiscriminate Grappling and Anything Goes Martial Arts, the true cause of Nerima's newfound peace were just beginning to rise.

Akane Tendo, the future Mrs. Saotome and Ranma Saotome, heir to the Tendo/Saotome Tendo/Saotome Amalgamated School of Indiscriminate Grappling and Anything Goes Martial Arts were making preparations for school. Kasumi was bringing in the laundry while keeping a watchful eye on the kettle that sat on the stove. Perhaps Ranma would need it this morning.

Genma and Soun, their hearts at ease with the knowledge that their legacy was secure, were sleeping in. Their countless schemes aimed at bringing their reluctant and stubborn children together had made them feel their age. 

At the Kuno estate, the incredibly dense 'Blue Thunder' stood before his Shrine to Akane Tendo, the Pig-tailed Girl and Assorted Women Fitting To Be A Bride of the Kuno Heir, agonizing over who he loved more and praying for the gods to grant him the opportunity to have them all. It was a ritual he performed everyday without fail before going off to school, where he would once again challenge Saotome for the hand of Akane Tendo. With the religious revival sweeping through Nerima, Kuno was certain that his day would come soon. His daily devotions had grown longer and more passionate and he knew that the gods would smile on him soon, recognizing his the purity of his cause and desires.

Over at Ucchan's, seemingly oblivious to all this activity going on around them, two young martial artists slept . . . and overslept.

Ukyo woke with a start, the wheels in her head grinding into action as the fog in her brain vanished. A glance out the window told her immediately that she had overslept. The sky was not the usual dark blue that she normally saw when she rose to go to school. Instead, it was already light and she felt her heart drop. It was that familiar feeling that most students (who give a damn) get when they realized that they were going to be late for school.

_My alarm clock_ . . . she thought and she sat upright. _Why didn_'_t it _. . .  _where _. . . She didn't really have to look far. It was right in front of her. Or at least what was left of it was staring right in front of her.

Her precious alarm clock, which she had depended on to wake her every morning was clutched firmly in Ryoga's arms, crushed into tiny pieces that were hardly recognizable if not for a fragment of the clock face and the minute hand still attached to it. 

Ryoga was still in Ukyo's forgivable zone at that point in time. But then he smiled in his sleep and sighed Akane's name, clutching the already brutalized clock even closer to his chest. She heard the casing crack into even more pieces, and had Ryoga been awake, he would certainly have the heard the snap, crackle and pop coming from Ukyo.

Apparently, he _did_ seem to notice the sound and he came to sleepily. "Wha . . . someone making popcorn . . ."

_Wham_!

The mega spatula came right down on Ryoga's face and Ukyo was sure to drive it as far down as she could, trying to smear his facial features flat. "Oh, just go back to sleep, you jackass!"

Ukyo felt the urge to pound him even harder, but she remembered about school, forced herself to relax and ran off to the bathroom to get ready. With the door shut behind her, she finally allowed herself one frustrated scream. Just one. And she picked up a toothbrush, applied some toothpaste and began brushing her teeth, forcing her mind to think happy thoughts. Was it really worth it having stay the night after all, she wondered.

Well, he was company. Even though he hadn't really said anything, his presence the night before had been . . . reassuring and almost comforting in a way. Of course, he still possessed the knack of annoying her. And that moron still loves Akane!

_What about you_, _Ukyo_? _Don_'_t you still love Ranma_? _Who are you calling a moron _. . . Ukyo sighed bitterly. She had thought she was over him. But seeing Ryoga still clinging on to the hope (and her alarm clock as well) that he would get Akane had stirred something deep inside her. She wasn't sure why she felt so angry. It wasn't as if Ryoga meant anything to her. But why then was she almost sure that she felt a twinge of jealousy when Ryoga whispered Akane's name?

Was it because Akane already had Ranma and Ryoga should be free for others? Or was it because Ryoga had the persistence that Ukyo did not have? She finished brushing her teeth, gargled angrily and spat into the sink. Then she turned to retrieve her dark blue jacket and trousers. She had long given up wearing a dress to school Especially since Ranma could never be hers and that idiot Kuno was still about.

 She was just about to disrobe when the door slid open and that familiar bandanna-wearing boy looked stared at her. His face bore the mark where her spatula had struck, but other than that, he looked pretty ok.

"Um . . . guess I managed to find the bathroom after all." Ryoga said lamely, caught a slight (very, very, very, very slight) glimpse of Ukyo's cleavage and felt a nosebleed coming on.

Ukyo preempted that by tossing a basin into the boy's face and the sprout of blood spurting upwards and away. "RYOGA! Do you _mind_!?" Ukyo slammed the door shut and bolted it this time. "Oh, the nerve . . .!" _Guess it's been awhile since I've shared this place with anyone_. 

She changed as quickly as she could, and for a while, she wondered if she would forego the chest bindings today. She would have decided against it since she was wearing her guy outfit for school, but she was late and she figured she didn't have the time. She fastened her trademark white ribbon bow behind her head and finally stepped out of the bathroom and found Ryoga lying where he had fallen.

She knelt down and grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him up, shaking him. "Wakey, wakey, you dummy!"

"Ugh . . . U . . . Ukyo?" He cracked open and eyelid. "You're dressed . . .?"

"What kind of stupid question is that?" Wham! Her spatula smashed into the side of his head and he blacked out again.

_Oh, crud_ . . . Ukyo rolled her eyes and shook him again. This time he remained out cold. "Come on!" She began to slap him, faster and faster. 

"Will you cut that out?" He said, finally waking up, his cheek already red from the dozens of slaps. 

"Now, you listen here, sugar . . ."

"I'm not your sugar . . ."

"Oh, puh-_lease_ . . ." Ukyo resisted the urge to bash his face in. "I'm off to school. You stay here. Don't go _anywhere_! I expect to find you here when I return, you got that!"

"Yes, ma'am." Ryoga said dully.

"I want you to look after the restaurant while I'm gone. Don't . . . touch . . . _anything_."

"Yes, ma'am. Will there be anything else, ma'am?"

_Oh for the love of_ . . . Ukyo clenched her fists but didn't strike. Instead she let it all out in one small sigh. Ryoga had already braced himself for the firestorm that did not come. Instead, he saw Ukyo returning her mega spatula to its storage position across her back as she stood.

"I'm off now." And she left him in the corridor outside the washroom. She had not disappeared round the corner for less than five seconds when she popped her head back. "Remember, don't go anywhere!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I heard you . . . old sourpuss." He muttered to himself.

"I heard that!" Ukyo shouted over her shoulder as she bolted out of the house. There was still time to get to Furinkan High before the Principal started catching the latecomers. Given that insanity ran in the family line and that Principal Kuno had spawned the twisted and perverted Tatewaki Kuno, Ukyo had no interest in finding out what bizarre punishment the Principal had in store for latecomers today. And there was that geometry test . . .

Ukyo was gone. Ryoga stretched his stiff neck, feeling those vertebrae crack and pop. Ukyo had always been kinda . . . well, cute. _Ranma_'_s words_! _Not mine_! _Feh_ . . . _well_, _Ranma should have made Ukyo his bride instead_. There was another pop and this time the pain was more acute. _Ok_, _so she's a cute girl with some spunk_.

Pop. _And some strength_.

Crack. _And one hell of a spatula_.

Maybe he would do with a trip to that chiropractor friend of Akane's . . . _Dr. Tofu wasn't it_? _Nah_, _I'd probably get lost_ . . . _like I did trying to find the bathroom_. He had ended up in Ukyo's personal wardrobe but he hadn't quite noticed it since most of the clothes looked like they were for guys. Then he had stumbled across the blue dress with the gigantic red bow she had worn to impress Ranma so long ago. That had sent him clawing desperately out of the closet and consequently he had made quite a mess. It was fortunate that Ukyo had been a hurry to leave. 

He had wanted to go the bathroom to wash up. He recalled being awake earlier, but something must have fell on him since the next time he woke, his face was aching all over. He vaguely remembered . . . popcorn. Yes, that must be it. A popcorn machine must have landed on him, crushing him. That would explained the squashed remnants of some mechanical device that he found on his chest. Ukyo must have removed and disposed of the machine, while allowing him to recover naturally. _So that_'_s why she was late_ _for school_. _I guess I should apologize_. 

Why Ryoga never wondered how a popcorn machine could simply fall from the heavens and land on him is not known. But one could deduce that he was too used to fate playing such cruel tricks on him to care about that. He went into the bathroom, washed splashed some water on his hurting face and looked at the mirror.

He saw a loser.

_Forgive me, Akane_ . . . _for not confessing my love to you when I had the chance_. _I wish you all the best with Ranma_. In his mind he saw Akane, framed by a ring of flowers topped with bells. She was such an angelic sight. Then Ranma was next to her, laughing at him. Ryoga felt that familiar rage rising within him. It wasn't fair . . . Then the apparition was beginning to talk. Ryoga could not hear the words, but Ranma and Akane were arguing as they always did. _So why did Akane choose Ranma still_? It wasn't fair! It just wasn't fair!

"Curse you, Ranma!" Ryoga pounded his fist into the bathroom wall and he realized what he had done only when it was too late. 

Cracks began to appear in the wall, spreading out from where his fist had burrowed through the tiles. He heard the sickening crackling sound, as the fissures got longer and wider. Then he saw his image in the mirror distort as it broke into a million pieces. A split-second after that, rest of the tiles exploded at him and wall came crumbling down. And the water main blew. 

            _Oh_, _shit _. . . He felt himself transforming even as the great waterspout blasted him backwards. It was fortunate for Ukyo (financially-speaking) that she had installed a water usage limiter (one of those funky new Japanese products) that would automatically cut the water supply once usage exceeded a certain amount. That was to help her save money since in her business, every cent counted. The only way to get the water running again was by manual override and that was of course only after Ukyo realized that she had exceeded her monthly water usage. 

            It was fortunate that it was near the end of the month. The jet of water was short-lived, but it was sustained enough to propel a tiny pig into the overhead light. The bulb blew and P-chan shook as the jolt of electricity course through its body. And then the pig fell onto the floor, amidst the mess of tile and glass fragments, unconscious.

            The test had not gone well for Ukyo. She didn't feel confident of a pass this time round. Even as the final bell of the day rang, she was already hurrying out of the classroom, headed towards the main gate. 

            She heard that familiar voice, once the sweetest sound in her life. _Ranchan_ . . . he sounded like he was arguing. Then he heard that scolding voice that Furinkan High had come to know so well. Akane Tendo.

            The couple came round the corner before Ukyo could find a way to avoid them. Akane saw her first and she stopped arguing. Ranma saw her next and Ukyo felt her heart stop. This was the man who had been her darling all her life. (Well, most of her teenage life at least) This was the man she had been betrothed to, destined to marry . . . Her heart suddenly felt like glass.

            "U-Ucchan . . . Haven't seen you in awhile." Ranma said as if nothing had happened.

            Ukyo did not answered. Instead, she fought to keep her tears welled up inside. Akane seemed to notice and she reached out to take Ukyo's arm. "Ukyo, you haven't been looking well for quite some time. Are you ok?"

            "I'm fine." Ukyo replied automatically.

            "Say, Ucchan . . . what say Akane and I come over for some okonomiyaki later?" Ranma suggested. "It's been awhile and with Akane's cooking still as bad as . . ."

            "S-so . . . my cooking is bad, eh . . ." Ukyo felt a wave of heat rising from Akane. "Ranma, you jerk!" 

            From the outside, a casual observer would have thought they saw a bulge appearing in the school's roof. They were right. The bulge swelled, then burst open and a boy in a red Chinese shirt went spinning into low orbit.

            "Oh, there are just times . . ." Akane let out an exasperated breath and looked over at Ukyo.

            "Akane, do you really love Ranchan?"

            Akane's eyes widened at the question. She frowned internally. Was there any ulterior motive here? But of all of Ranma's other suitors, Ukyo was the most scrupulous. And Akane had got along with her best.

            "Yes, Ukyo. I do. It's just that sometimes . . .well . . ." Akane saw the wave of sadness passing over Ukyo's face and she reached out to touch the okonomiyaki chef's shoulder. "Ukyo . . . I'm sorry if Ranma and I have hurt you in . . ."

            "No, no, Akane. I am very happy for you two. Honest."

            "Ukyo, you're such a pretty girl. I'm sure there will be someone . . ."

            "Well, Akane, gotta run." Ukyo said uncomfortably. Her heart was coming apart. 

            "Wait, Ukyo. Can we drop by late . . ."

            "Um . . ." Ukyo paused awkwardly. "Maybe not today. Um, I've got some stuff to settle. Sorry about that. Maybe another day?"

            "Ok, I'll tell Ranma . . ." Akane nodded. "As soon as he comes back to earth."

            Ukyo did not reply, instead, she headed out as fast as she could, spatula-smashing and trampling over a flower-bearing Kuno as she did so. Once she was out the gate, her tears began to flow. But she told herself to harden up.

            She would arrive at her restaurant and she wouldn't want Ryoga to see her like this. Knowing him, he'd probably try to kill Ranma again if he saw her crying because of him. 

            And then she realized that the enormity of the situation. She had left Ryoga at Ucchan's . . . alone. What if he wanted to use the bathroom? Or the kitchen? She increased her pace and hoped that she would be able to find him still where she had left him. _Ryoga_, _you had better have listened to me just this once_.

            She reached her restaurant and noted that the door was still locked. _Good_. All the four walls were intact and none of the windows were open, normally or otherwise. _Better_ _still_.  Satisfied that no new holes had been opened up in her restaurant, she was quite confident she would find Ryoga still inside . . . though it might take awhile . . .

            The sliding door to her restaurant came open and she stepped in, shutting the door behind her. The first floor was just as she had left it, her grill silent and empty for now. Well, it wouldn't stay that way too long. She made her way up the darkened stairway, calling for Ryoga as she went. 

            There was no reply. Maybe he was sleeping. Or maybe he was just lost somewhere. _Ought to get changed into something more comfortable first_, she thought as she headed to her room. 

            She wasn't quite prepared for the mess that greeted her. Her wardrobe was wide open, her clothes strewn everywhere as if Happosai had just ransacked it. It didn't make sense. What did she have that the old pervert would want? Or could it be Ryoga? She shuddered and gripped the handle of her mega spatula a little tighter. How much did she really know him anyway . . . after all, he did sleep with Akane as P-chan didn't he?

            She glanced at the two futons still laid out in the center of the room, a small pile of alarm clock fragments still sat neatly on one of them. 

            There was a noise behind her and she whirled to face it, her spatula drawn and ready. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for the source of the noise. Then she heard it again, a slight scuffling sound that came from the corridor outside. 

            With her weapon still grasped firmly in her hands, Ukyo stepped out into the corridor, ready to strike. Well, the best way to meet a threat sometimes was to confront it head on. Certain that the sound was directly outside her room, she leapt out into the corridor, poised to attack.

            "Bweee!?"

            "P-chan . . ." Ukyo lowered the spatula at the sight of the tiny pig. "Now how did you end up like this again?"

            The pig stared wide-eyed at her and she shrugged. "Not going to get any answers out of you this way, am I?" Ukyo picked up the pig and went into her room, picking up two sets of clothes. One was her blue okonomiyaki chef's outfit while the other was a male's outfit. "See, I'm wising up. I'll prep some hot water, leave this set of clothes somewhere and toss you in."

            For some reason, the pig's eyes grew so large, they seem ready to burst and it tried to struggle free. 

            "Oh, not again, Ryoga . . . I'm not going to see you naked! And besides, you've got some explaining to do." She jerked a thumb at her ravaged wardrobe. "Oh, my tub's down isn't it? Never mind, I guess we could use the sink." She grinned evilly at the pig as it continued to struggle.

            She didn't understand it. What was going on? Why did Ryoga resist. And why was there this great lump on his head? Oh, well, all would be answered once he was returned to human form. _All we need is a bit of hot_ . . .

            She came into the bathroom. She saw. She went ballistic.

            "RYOGA!" She screamed at the pig, staring at the wreckage that had been her bathroom. Little cute piggy or not, Ukyo tossed P-chan into the air and caught him as he was falling to the ground, her great spatula smashing him into a nearby wall. 

            Ukyo struggled for control. This . . . boy . . . was a walking disaster area! She picked up the unconscious pig, filled the sink with hot water and dumped him in, turning away.

            "Wah! That's hot!" She heard him say.

            Without turning to look, her spatula swung once more and she heard it making contact with his skull. "Stay right there, you jackass. I'll be right back."

            _It's not going to work _. . . _it's not going to work_ . . . Ukyo told herself angrily as she changed in her chef's outfit and stormed back to her bathroom. She had screamed the first time and she screamed again. The place looked like a war zone. How much would the repairs cost?

            Ryoga was standing there, looking glumly at the floor, playing with his fingers, afraid to look Ukyo in the eye.

            "Okay, Hibiki . . . are you going to tell me what happened here or am I going to have to use force?"

            "Ehehehe . . .  well you see . . .  uh . . . I  . . . well, it's like this . . ."

            "_Ryoga_! Will you _stop_ that?!" Ukyo shrieked, almost ready to pull out her hair in clumps. Ryoga had mechanically started poking fresh holes in the wall. She glared at the holes and noticed that it was the beginnings of the word 'Sorry'.

            "Ah, what the hell . . ." Ukyo said in a resigned tone. "Are you hungry?"

            Ryoga nodded meekly.

            "Well, let's get you something to eat. On the house since you owe me _big_ for this."

            Ryoga didn't protest and Ukyo stepped out of the bathroom. A second later she was back. "_This _way, you oaf." She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down to the restaurant below.

            She got the grill started and took out some of her ingredients and she began working on a plain okonomiyaki. She watched the flat pizza take shape, sizzling on the grill and noted how Ryoga stared at it greedily. She allowed herself a hidden smile, enjoying the fact that she was tempting him.

            "So what will it be?"

            "What? Well, I would like to say I'm sorry . . ."

            "I asked what kind of okonomiyaki would you like, you jackass."

            "Um, squid, I guess. Definitely nothing to do with pork." Ryoga replied awkwardly. "You should know why now, I guess. I mean . . . Ukyo?"

            A single tear landed on the hot grill, and it hissed into vapor almost immediately. Ryoga realized that Ukyo was trying hard to stop sobbing.

            "U-Ukyo . . ."

            "I'm sorry. Don't mind me, sugar . . ." Ukyo shook her head, blinking the tears out of her eyes. "It's just that squid was one of Ranchan's favorites . . ."

            "Ukyo . . . I'm sorry . . . maybe something else . . ."

            "No." She said firmly, that old stubborn strength of hers flowing back, as if she had only been temporarily indisposed. "If squid is what you want, sweetie, squid is what you'll get." 

            Ryoga watched with fascination as Ukyo's hands moved rapidly and deftly over the grill. It was a wonder to see her work. It was almost impossible to see her moves as her hands, wielding her normal-sized spatulas danced over the sizzling circle of dough and other ingredients.

            "Here you go, one squid okonomiyaki!" Ukyo put on the very best smile that she could though her eyes were still wet.

            "Uh . . ." Ryoga stared down at the Japanese pizza. 

            "Hmm?" Ukyo looked down and she saw that she had used the sauce to draw a large heart on the pizza. Her featured flushed. "Uh, sorry . . . force of habit . . . I'm still trying to get over it."

            "I know how you feel, Ukyo." Ryoga sighed as he took a pair of wooden chopsticks and took his first stab at the food.

            "If you want, I could make anot . . ."

            "It's ok, Ukyo. Really." Ryoga said, shaking his head. He put a piece of Ukyo's handiwork into his mouth and savored the taste. "Delicious. Here, why don't we share this?" He offered her a pair of chopsticks and she accepted graciously.

            They ate in silence, the shape of the heart vanishing as they worked through the okonomiyaki together. It seemed strange . . . ironic even, that she was sharing the okonomiyaki that she normally made for Ranma with Ryoga. 

            "Ryoga . . ."

            "Uh . . . yeah?"

            _Not now_, _girl_. _Don't use him as a rebound_. _He_'_s just as hurt as you are_. "Nothing, sugar. Eat up."

            "This is a really good okonomiyaki. Thanks Ukyo. You're the best."

            "You mean it?" 

            "Eheheh." Ryoga scratched the back of his head nervously, averting her eyes.

            "I see . . ." Realization dawned on Ukyo. "If you think that's going to help me forget about the wardrobe and the bathroom, you're dead wrong, mister. Let me tell you, flattery will get you nowhere."

            "Well, it was worth a try." Ryoga said as he finished the last of the food. "Look Ukyo, thanks for your hospitality and I'm really, really sorry about your wardrobe and bathroom. I swear I'll make it up to you. But right now, I would really like to get going again."

            "You mean you want to go wandering again?" Ukyo frowned. "It's Ranma and Akane, isn't it? You want to go wandering into the countryside just to get away for awhile, right?"

            Ukyo felt the urge to say 'Take me with you'. But then Ryoga was laughing nervously. "Actually, no. I was trying to find my way home. I thought it'd be good to spend sometime with my dog."

            Ukyo struggled to keep a straight face. Ryoga had lost the love of his life just as she had and all he could think of was going home to his dog? Poor Ryoga, going off the deep end. 

            "But don't worry, I've got money at home. I'll get it to help pay for the repairs. I promise." Ryoga said, catching the look on Ukyo's face. "I'll rush back as soon as I get the money."

            _Which would be a week's time if I'm lucky_, Ukyo thought. _Well_, _who am I to stop him_? _It's best he be on his way then_.

            "Hey, Ryoga, since you'd be leaving soon, why don't you take some food with you?" Ukyo offered.

            "Well, I'll have one okonomiyaki to go then. Make it beef this time." 

            "Just one?"

            "I live in the next town. Even with my sense of direction, it can't be more than a day's hike from here."

            "Ok . . ." Ukyo shrugged. "One beef okonomiyaki coming right up."

            The process took all of two minutes and Ukyo put the steaming hot pizza into a takeout box. She was about to close it when she stopped suddenly and dipped her tiny brush into her saucepot. "Almost forgot."

            With a few deft movements, she drew half a heart and wrote the word 'Friends' on it. She shot him an inquiring look and he nodded. "Friends."

            Then with the remaining space on the pizza, she wrote out an IOU with an estimate of how much it would cost to fix her bathroom. That done, she smiled sweetly at him and handed him the takeout box.

            "See you, Ryoga."

            "Ok, ok. I get the hint. I'll be back as soon as I can! You have my word of honor!" He rose abruptly and jumped over the grill. "Homeward bound then!"

            "Uh, Ryoga?"

            "What?"

            "The exit it _that_ way." Ukyo said blandly.

            Ryoga did a full 180 and regarded her with a frown. "I _knew_ that!"

            And he was off, leaving Ukyo alone in her restaurant. She had already place a sign outside stating that she was closed for renovation works so there wouldn't be anyone else coming today. 

            She saw a piece of black and yellow cloth on the floor. A bandanna. _He must have dropped this_. Ukyo picked it up, running her hand over the smooth cloth. _No_, she told herself firmly. After Ranma had dumped her a second time, she would stay true to her promise. She would not love another man. But then . . . _there's something about that jackass isn't there_? 

Six hours later . . .

            The sun had long set over Nerima and Ukyo was outside her restaurant, sweeping away dead leaves that had gathered at her entrance. She had been humming to herself until she saw the passage of a grand host of worshippers of some sort, bearing the icons and artifacts of their faith.

            _Nerima had gotten _weirder _since Akane and Ranma got together_, she frowned as the stream of elaborately clad people continued to tramp past her. She was almost done with the sweeping when she saw a familiar shape at the rear of the column of religious whackos.

            That pack, that umbrella. 

            "Ryoga!" Ukyo called out excitedly. She had almost begun to miss him. "I mean, what are doing back so soon, Ryoga. I'm almost impressed."

            The Lost Boy walked up to her and stared at her in wide-eyed disbelief. "Ukyo? What are you doing here?"

            "What do you mean 'what am I doing here'? You hit your head on something?" Ukyo couldn't help yelling at him. _God_, _how dumb can he get_?

            "You mean I'm still in Nerima?"

            "You mean you haven't gone home yet?"

            "Wait . . . Is that really you, Ukyo? Or am I just imagining things?" 

            He had asked for it. The spatula came down on his head and sent him sprawling to the ground. He groaned and struggled to get up. "The sting of the spatula . . . it has to be Ukyo, alright."

            "You jackass! You can't even get to the next town?" 

            "Hey, it's not that easy! Tokyo is a big city, ok?"

            "Riiiiiiiiiight . . ." Ukyo cocked a brow at him, arms folded across her chest.

            The distant rumble of thunder sounded before Ryoga could reply and the Lost Boy gripped his umbrella a little more tightly, looking warily at the sky. Up on the roof of Ucchan's Okonomiyaki, a dozen Cultists of the Greater Monsoon Deity had already taken up places and were raising their hands in exaltation of their deity, palms open to receive the great blessings that would soon pour forth.

            "Damn it, go find another house, you whackos!" Ukyo reached for the bandolier strung across her body and sent a spread of spatulas slashing towards them. Clothing ripped as the razor sharp spatulas found their marks, disrobing several of the cultists with cold efficiency.  

            Their meditations interrupted, the cultists scattered, headed for safer havens from which they would continue their fervent worship.

            "Look, I'll be going now . . ." Ryoga did not get far. Ukyo had snagged one of the straps on his backpack and he tumbled clumsily, landing on the pavement with a thud. "What the hell was that for?"

            She pointed at the unopened okonomiyaki takeout box that Ryoga had strapped atop his backpack and shook her head. "It's cold now. I guess you'll be dining in after all."

            "But . . ."

            "No 'buts', you directionless jackass. You're staying over again." Ukyo held fast to his backpack. Then added under her breath. "I hope I won't regret this."

            "But I gotta get h . . ."

            "Try again tomorrow." Ukyo said stubbornly. "Get in before it starts raining, pig-boy."

            "Hey, watch who you're calling pig-boy." Ryoga got up. But he wasn't straining to get away from Ukyo. He was already taking the first, reluctant steps towards the inviting shelter of the restaurant.

            "Yeah, yeah. Come on in, Ryoga, before it rains. I don't have a hot tub for you tonight."

            "Stop reminding me . . ." he gloomed.

            "Alright." She giggled. It was a delightful sound. "One more beef okonomiyaki coming up."

            "I'll be dining in this time, chef." Ryoga smiled back.

**Endnotes:** So there you have it another episode. Hopefully I am still pleasing readers out there. Given my previous writing experience this definitely not as easy as I thought. So much for writing this when my mind goes on vacation. I still don't think I'm quite into this 'warm and fuzzy-feeling' kind of thing yet.

And yes, again I will leave you with the promise that I will update this in 3-4 weeks though I get the feeling that it will be sooner than that. Ah, well, cheers and till the next episode.


	3. Episode 2

**Author's Notes:** The episodes are getting a little longer each time. Well, I hope that this one continues to assure you readers and that (as usual) it lives up to the style and characters that Rumiko Takahashi has created. 

As for the title, it's not really about a ride home. But I sort of thought it might be appropriate. Anyway, here's wishing you happy reading.
    
    **Episode 2: The Ride Home**

            Another dawn had broken over Nerima and residents had already gotten used to the new routines. Worshippers from the various faiths were beginning their daily shuffle, and the responsibility of praying for the continued peace in Nerima was passed from faith to faith. 

            The city's transport authorities, noting the shift in the residents' behavior had long adjusted the bus schedules to cater to these devout prayer warriors and had unwittingly spawned the Holy Depot of Crusading Bus Captains as well as the Brotherhood of Peacekeeping Bus Conductors. 

            While the pre-rush-hour traffic began to build and the changing of the religious guard took place across Nerima, two young souls were sleeping blissfully at Ucchan's Okonomiyaki. Well, not really. One had already awoken before the other.

            Ukyo Kounji was dreaming.

            And it was one of the good ones. The kind that you tend to forget in its entirety the moment you wake up, but leaves a good feeling anyway.

            There had been a man in that dream. Yes, it was the proverbial man of her dreams. It had once been Ranma, but as the months following his declaration to marry Akane, that face had gradually faded away, eroded by the passage of time, like a video losing its quality after repeated playbacks. And now, she could not make out the face, even though the feeling of love and completeness was still there.

            There was a prod. Somewhere in her dream state, her mind told her that there had been a prod. But it didn't seem to make sense in the dream setting. And her brain wasn't getting any more specific than that. All it said was: 'Prod'. 

            Then there was another. This time, the signal was more detailed, more specific. It was her head. Something was jabbing her head. The dream was beginning to fade as her mind slipped closer to consciousness. 

            She woke with a start even as a third jab caught her in the forehead. "What the . . .?" She forced her eyes to focus and then there was a face staring down at her, just inches away. 

            It was not the man of her dreams.

            "Ryoga . . ."

            "Ah, you're awake, Ukyo. I was afraid I would have to use cold water to wake you," he said, drawing away.

            "Wake me?" Ukyo could feel her thoughts beginning to string together, the world around her starting to make sense. "For what?"

            "School, of course. I broke your alarm clock yesterday, remember?" Ryoga was saying. "So I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't be late for school this time."

            "What time is it?" But Ukyo wasn't waiting for an answer. She had hardly heard Ryoga. And now she was looking out the window, the sun was level with her windowsill yet.

            If the meaning of Ryoga's words had eluded her so far, there was one thing that didn't. And she spun to face the Lost Boy, the sleep departing from her mind, the cobwebs blasted clear by a wave of rage.

            "Ryoga, you jackass!" She had to stop herself from throttling him. "Do you know what day it is?"

            "No, not really. Time has little meaning for a wanderer like me." Ryoga replied nonchalantly. "Gee, Ukyo, what are you so worked up about?"

            "It's a Sunday, you doofus!"

            Ryoga reached into his backpack and pulled out a crumpled calendar. "Hmm, thanks. I'll take your word for it." And he promptly marked off the days gone by with a pen. 

            "Errggh . . ."

            "Um . . . Ukyo?" Ryoga finally noted the glow surrounding the girl as she glared at him, staring razor-sharp spatulas at him. "Did I say something wrong?"

            _Whang_ . . . _Crash_!

            He had felt the familiar sting of the spatula and realized for a bizarre moment that he was actually airborne before coming to grief against a wall and dropping onto unceremoniously onto the floor in a heap.

            "You idiot! There is _no_ school today!" She was standing over him now, mega spatula gripped menacingly in her hand. 

            "Whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm sorry, Ukyo! It was an honest mistake!" Ryoga held up a hand to stop her. "I mean, I haven't gone to school in ages . . . I've quite forgotten!"

            "Say goodnight, you pig . . ." And the spatula came down and down and down. Ryoga did his best to endure the pounding that seemed to last for an eternity. He was quite surprised to find out that he was actually aware of when the impacts of the flat, polished surface had finally ceased. He was still conscious. 

            Ryoga wasn't sure which hurt more – the lumps on his head or the ringing in his ears. He fought a short, victorious battle with the dark haze of unconsciousness and saw Ukyo glaring at him, spatula still grasped in her hands, as if ready to strike once more.

            "Why the hell did you do that for?"

            "I was having a really good dream and you just _had_ to wake me! And on a Sunday to boot!" 

            "Look, I already said I'm sorry. But if you're going to pummel me again, I'm not going to stop you." His hands were by his side, no effort made to block incoming blows. 

            Ukyo stared at him for a long moment and just when he began to feel uncomfortable, she rose slowly with a sigh.

            "Um . . . Ukyo . . .I'm . . ."

            WHAM!

            This time, the lights in Ryoga's head really went out.

            He had woken to the pleasant aroma of freshly cooked okonomiyaki, those tempting tendrils of the delicious scent pulling him over the threshold of unconsciousness back into the world of the living.

            He cracked open an eyelid carefully, scanning slowly for any sign of movement or danger around him. There seemed to be none. He tested his body slowly, noting with a certain amount of satisfaction and relief that he still had feeling in his fingers and toes.

            There was a flash of color to his left. Blue trimmed with white. A glint of polished steel. Ryoga squeezed his eyes shut and waited, regulating his breathing, pretending to be asleep. 

            "Wake up now, sugar," It was the familiar voice of Nerima's favorite okonomiyaki chef. "No use trying to play dead now. I saw you peeking."

            Ryoga eyes were opened now, focus on the source of the voice. The anger was now gone from Ukyo's face and he seemed safe for the time being. She was holding out a plate to him. "Here's your breakfast."      

            As he struggled to sit upright, he spared a glance out the window and noted that it was light now._ What time_ . . . he looked at the still-hot Japanese pizza in front of him.

            "Gee, Ukyo . . . After what I did this morning, I don't think I deserve this." Ryoga said, picking up the pizza by the edges. He took a small bite. _Delicious_ . . . _far better than Akane's cooking_. He scolded himself for that. It just would not do to insult Akane in that manner . . . even if it were true.

            "Nonsense, Ryoga. Did you really think I was _that_ upset that you woke me so early today?" Ukyo laughed, watching him eat.

            "The lumps on my head tell me 'yes'."

            Ukyo's eyes narrowed and her spatula was out in a flash, the flat surface just inches from his face. "And _this_ tells you 'no'."

            "Hmm, I think you're right." Ryoga laughed nervously, chomping on his okonomiyaki. "Who was I trying to kid? Ehehehe."

            "That's better . . ." Ukyo purred as she laid the spatula aside and watched him eat in silence. He devoured the okonomiyaki with frightening speed, all the time avoiding eye contact with her. Then when he was done, he looked guiltily at her.

            "I'm sorry, Ukyo. Um, did you get to eat breakfast?"

            "Of course, you dummy." She frowned at him. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

            "Um, no."

            "It's pretty close to eleven in the morning already," she told him. "I had to come up specially to check on you to make sure you were still alive and that you didn't wander off somewhere."

            "I'm most touched by your concern, Ms. Kounji." Ryoga said sardonically. "But I believe that I ought to be on my way home."

            "Well, Mr. Hibiki, it's not nice to just leave like that." Ukyo replied, her tone matching Ryoga's.

            "Okay, so what do I have to do now?" Ryoga sounded slightly impatient.

            "I was thinking of taking some time off today. Just take a walk around town and unwind. Maybe watch a movie or something. But it's no fun doing it all alone."

            "Uh . . . ah . . ." Ryoga was backing away slightly. "Are you asking me out on a date, Ukyo?" 

            "Don't be such jackass, you . . . jackass!" Ukyo snapped a little harshly at him. "I just want some company. It's not a date!"

            "Feh. Who would date such an unfeminine girl like you anyway?" Ryoga replied waving his hand dismissively at her. 

            Twong! Crrraack . . .

            A large tear boiled in Ryoga's eye as the pain made itself felt, the edge of the mega-spatula still etched into his right bicep. 

            "Aaaaah . . ." Ryoga managed to stifle off the rest of the scream that he was just beginning through gritted teeth. "Especially such a violent girl like you . . ."

            Clang! Creeeeak . . .

            "Ooooh . . ." Ryoga gasped as the spatula came down on that wounded arm again. He was very sure that if that blow had not shattered the bone, it would surely have caused a very nasty chip or deformity. 

            Ukyo was glaring at him, that pinkish glow returning to surround her again. From the way she gripped the handle of her spatula, she looked as if she were ready to paddle him into the stratosphere if not somewhere in low orbit.

            "Ok, ok, I take it all back, Ukyo. Maybe you aren't that bad . . ." He was doing everything in his power to grip the point of double impact with his other hand. The pain was excruciating in the extreme.

            "Good. All I just want is some company while I just get away from school, work and well . . . maybe Ranma and Akane." Ukyo explained. "I've been wanting to do something to take my mind off that for quite awhile. I don't know if you understand, Ryoga."     

            He looked at her, caught the sad look on her face. _Poor Ukyo_ . . . _trying to get over it all_, _just like me_. _And I'm not really helping_. "Ukyo . . . I apologize. I have not been as helpful as I should have been. Please forgive me."

            "So can I take that as a 'yes'?"

            "As long as I get to be on my way home at the end of the day, I'm sure it won't hurt to just keep you company for a couple of hours." 

            "That's great. Thanks, Ryoga."

            "Um, Ukyo?"

            "Yeah?"

            "Can you take your spatula out of my arm now. I think it's in the bone." Ryoga said, tears of pain finally flowing freely now.

            "How's this one?" Ukyo put the outfit in front of her body and tired to pose. "Do you like it?"

            "Ukyo . . . what's all this fuss about. We're just going for a walk!" Ryoga protested as he sat atop his bulging backpack. "You've been going at this for almost half an hour already."

            "Oh, don't be such a spoilsport, Ryoga. I haven't dressed up in ages . . ." Then she tossed the current outfit aside and picked up another one. It was the blue dressed with the oversized red bow that she had once more to impress Ranma with her 'girliness'. That particular gambit had failed to impress that idiot Saotome but it had been enough to fool Ryoga to earn himself a full spatula's worth of pain to the face.

            She held it up in front of her and twirled around for him. "How's this one?"

            "Um, it's a bit extravagant for just a walk around town, isn't it?" Ryoga said, wincing, preparing for the spatula.

            It didn't come.

            "Hmmm, think you're right." Ukyo looked at the dress one last time before replacing it in the wardrobe. "I know . . . how about _this_ one?" She retrieved another hanger from within. "Tada!"

            Ryoga tried his best, but he couldn't stop his jaw from hanging wide open. Held in Ukyo's hands was a finely-made, pink silk gown. He didn't need her to put on that delicate piece of cloth to imagine what it would look like. He'd already seen her in it before.

            "That's the dress you were wearing when I rescued you on Togenkyo Island, wasn't it?"

            "Yep. That's right, sugar. Though I recall I was the one who had to carry you out of there." Ukyo said with a smirk. 

            "You could have at least said thank you for the rescue, you know." Ryoga huffed, folding his arms across his chest. That dress had been a gift from Prince Toma himself. It was a beautiful piece of clothing, and Ryoga had to admit that it really brought out the feminine . . . maybe even sexy side of Ukyo. But it was totally inappropriate. And he said so, once again expecting the spatula.

            "I guess, you're right." She agreed as she looked at the dress. "Such a pity, it's a really pretty gown."

            "Yes." Ryoga said softly, not daring to say anything else.

            "I didn't keep my promise in the end, you know?" Ukyo said suddenly, a wave of sadness passing over her face. "We never found your Akane after you rescued me now did we?"

            "Not in time," Ryoga admitted. "But she's not my Akane. I guess she never was. I guess she was Ranma's from the start." The mood was contagious.

            "I guess so. Guess Ranma's heart could never have been mine either." Ukyo sighed as he replaced the gown. "I guess I shouldn't wear this either." She was holding a dark-colored tube top now. 

            "That one looks familiar." 

            "I wore it when we went to the Tunnel of Lost Love. You know, when we tried to get Ranma and Akane to split up?"

            "Ah, yes. But what's wrong with wearing it today?"

            "Well, we didn't succeed. I guess it's just a reminder that I failed to win Ranma's heart." She frowned at the top. "Should have dumped this a long time ago."

            Ryoga thought back to the trip through the Tunnel of Lost Love. He had thought that the plan would have worked too. But somehow, Ranma and Akane had managed to leave that tunnel without being pulled apart. And in the meantime, he and Ukyo had been set upon by the hordes of spirits, forced into battling their way out inch by inch.

            It had been a thought that had bothered him before. It wasn't a nagging issue like that of how he would ask Akane out on a date or how he would ever break the news to her that _he_ was P-chan. But sometimes, in the great outdoors, as he lay by the fire with his eyes to the star-filled sky, there was the chance that the question would slip into his mind.

            If the zombies had only existed to split up couples, then why had they gone for him and Ukyo? Did they know or sense something that neither of them had been aware of? But then, he and Ukyo were still on talking terms so they couldn't have been a _real_ couple . . . right? The zombies had pulled them apart. Had they been a real couple, they wouldn't be here figuring out what she should wear. He would never be in Ucchan's in the first place.

            Klong. Klong. Klong.

            "Helloooo . . . Earth to Ryoga . . ." Ukyo was bonking him gently on the head with the spatula. "Ah, you're still awake. I thought you passed out on my of something."

            "Nah . . ." Ryoga shook his head vigorously. She was still holding that top. "Hey, just wear that one, alright? So what if we didn't break Ranma and Akane up? Look at them now, they're a good couple and I guess I'm glad we didn't succeed. And besides, I learnt something else that day?"

            "Oh, yeah? And what's that?"

            "I learnt that I've got at least one friend I can count on in a tough situation."

            Ukyo looked at that article of clothing and back at him and a smile spread across her face. "You've got me sold, sugar. Nice sweet talking there, Hibiki. Never knew you had it in you."

            "Ah . . . well . . .um . . ." Ryoga felt his cheeks burning as he held them, feeling the embarrassment finally kicking in.

            "Now, you just be a good boy and stay here. I'll be right back!" Ukyo skipped off with a bounce in her step, her selected top in hand. 

             She was back in flash and Ryoga wanted to say that he had never known girls to change that fast but he thought against it, noting that she had decided to bring her spatula along. 

            "Um, gee . . . Ukyo, is _that_ really necessary? I mean, we're going for a leisurely stroll, you know? And you've got me the protect you."

            "And who's gonna protect me from _you_?" She retorted with a sly grin.

            "Well, I should have you know that I would never . . . I mean . . . with such an unfem . . ."

            Shing! The edge of the spatula was just a brow's length from his forehead. If she chose to strike, his bandanna wouldn't be much help cushioning the blow. "Choose your next words wisely, Hibiki. Your fate depends very much on it."

            "Uh . . . ehehehehe." Ryoga chuckled nervously, tugging at the collar of his shirt. "Well, um, I think we ought to get going, don't you, Ukyo? I mean, it's getting close to lunch."

            "That's better . . ." She slung the spatula back into storage position and waited for him to get to his feet. 

            Ryoga picked up his backpack and made sure the weight rested even on his shoulders, then he looked over at her. "Ready?"

            "Lead the way, sugar." She proffered her hand to him.

            "Alrighty then." He took her hand and they were off. 

            Right into the closet that Ukyo had shut only moments before.

            _Tell me this isn_'_t happening_, Ukyo thought as she pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes. _This is so _not_ going to work_ . . .

            "That's odd . . ."Ranma Saotome thought aloud as he arrived at the entrance of Ucchan's with Akane. "Doesn't seem like anyone's in."

            There were no lights in the restaurant, no sound of metal on metal coming from within and no aroma of okonomiyaki on the grill. He reached forward and tried to open the door and he felt the resistance. _Locked_ . . .

            "Aw, man, and I had a craving for okonomiyaki too."

            "Ranma, you jerk! Is your stomach the only thing you can think about?" Akane said sharply. "Haven't you noticed that Ukyo has not been herself for quite some time?"

            "Now that you've mentioned it . . ."

            "Did you ever talk to her . . . about us?" Akane asked with a slight scowl. "Ever asked how she felt about it by any chance?"

            "Gee. I told her we were getting married. She didn't pound me so I thought she was ok with it."

            "That's it?" Akane seemed slightly peeved. "You just told her we were getting married and left it at that?"

            "Uh . . . yeah . . ."

            "Ranma! We broke her heart and you didn't even talk to her about it? You didn't even bother to ask her if she would be ok?"

            "Whoa, whoa, whoa . . . what are you blaming this all on me for? She's your friend too, right?"

            "Damn it, Ranma! You grew up with her! She was your fiancée for goodness sake!" 

            A crowd was beginning to gather now, drawn by their yelling. Residents who knew the too were felt the first twinges of worry. Could the great troubles of the past be coming back to haunt them.

            "Look, Akane, I don't need you to tell me how to . . ."

            "Back to the hell which spawned you, demon!" came a high-pitched shriek. There was a flimsy rectangular piece of paper stuck to Ranma's forehead.

            "What the hell . . .?"

            "Aieeeeee! The ward did not work?!" Ranma and Akane were staring at the diminutive youth staring back at them with dark-ringed eyes. The young man looked vaguely familiar despite the heavy black robes that shrouded most of his body.

            "Who . . ." Akane began.

            "Waaaaaah! Take this and this and this and this!" The newcomer reached out with several dozen more sheets of paper, attempting to plaster Ranma's entire body with it. "Hiy_aaaaaa_ . . . eh?"

            Ranma had the boy's wrist gripped firmly in his hands and a small mountain of paper lay discarded on the floor. Akane pulled off the one on Ranma's forehead and read it.

            "Ward Against Greater Chthulus?" Akane cocked a brow at the person who had so rudely interrupted their argument.

            "Is that what it is?" the newcomer somehow managed to break free of Ranma's grip to grasp his own face in horror. "Silly me. I used the wrong ward!" He reached into his pocket and was about to pull out something when Ranma's fist met his face.

            "Ok, buster. Just who the heck are you?"

            "Mercy! Spare me!" the boy said, nursing his bruised face. "I am only doing what's best for the rest of these people. I'm the leader of the True Way to Save Nerima by Ensuring the Akane and Ranma Stay Happily Together Sect. My name is Isoruku Gosunkugi . . ."

            He never got to finish as a combined kick from Ranma and Akane sent him flying off into the distance. 

            "What the hell is wrong with this town?" Akane huffed. "Ever since we decided to get married . . ."

            "I don't know." Ranma suppressed a shudder. "I can't believe that there are two of him." He said, referring to Furinkan High's master of voodoo arts, Hikaru Gosunkugi. "Anyway, Akane, you win. As soon as we find Ukyo, I'll talk to her. You're right. I'm her friend and I owe her at least that much."

            "Ryoga, there are times when you can be such a jackass." 

            "Feh." 

            "I mean, crying over a dumb movie like that." Ukyo shook her head in disbelief. "Come on, we know it was just a fantasy romance flick."

            Ryoga shrugged and grunted. They had originally thought of having lunch at the Neko Hanten but they decided last minute that they did not want to court disaster by being seen together. So they had walked through the rest of town, looking for a place to have lunch.

            But it being the weekend, all the restaurants were fully-packed, or worse, had Ukyo's schoolmates in them. So in the end, they had decided to pick up a couple of sandwiches and watch a movie or two.

            And so they had sat, shrouded in the dark, munching on sandwiches, watching some sappy love story that Ukyo had insisted on. It had been a three-hour monster of a film made to, quoting from the poster, 'tug at the heartstrings and leave one's hearty with a warm fuzzy feeling'. Well, as far-fetched as the story of two reluctant martial artists falling in love despite their best efforts not to had been, Ryoga had cried at the happy ending. 

            Ukyo had remained seemingly unmoved by the movie's conclusion he had simply broken down. If only he could remember the title of the damn movie now. There's was nothing like a good cry sometimes.

            "Anyway, Ukyo, it _was_ a dumb and unbelievable plot. But it did have a lovely ending." Ryoga finally said. "It's not wrong for a guy to cry you know?"

            "No, I guess not." Ukyo said with a sigh, looking up at the reddening sky. "I suppose you'd be wanting to start heading home now. Before it gets dark."

            "Well, you know me. It probably wouldn't matter." Ryoga replied with a slight chuckle. "I'd reach home way after tonight."

            "Not if I can help it."

            "Hmmm?"

            "Ryoga, this is Tokyo. There are _buses_." She stopped walking, leaning against the chain-link fence designed to keep mischievous delinquents from falling into the canal on the other side. "And if I help you buy the ticket, I'm sure you can't go wrong."

            "Well, _that_'_s _an idea! My, Ukyo, you're really smart!"

            "Heh, no problem. Anything to help a friend," she smiled at him. "Say, the sun's going to be setting soon and I know a pretty good place to watch it. I mean, I always wanted to with Ranma, but I suppose I could settle for second best."

            "Well, I _glad_ to know that I'm _only_ the next better player." Ryoga remembered a line from some 1980s movie from America. _There are no points for second best_.

            "Be glad you're even on that list, mister." Ukyo replied to Ryoga's sarcasm with faked menace. "So are you coming or what?"

            "Guess it wouldn't hurt. And since I'll be taking a bus home, why not?"

            "Then let's go!"

            They made it to the spot that Ukyo had mentioned. But only barely. Ukyo's 'special spot' was a small stone bridge that spanned over a tiny stream in the Natsunokumo-koen Park. And sitting atop the stone barrier, they could see the sun setting over the hills, framed between two very tall and straight trees. 

            They watched the sun setting in silence, glad to be far removed from the nightly chanting of insane religious freaks. Away from Furinkan, away from Ucchan's and away from all the things that didn't really matter anymore.

            It was only when the last rays of light of the dying day finally vanished and darkness settled over the land that Ryoga finally spoke. "That was really something. Thanks, Ukyo, I'm glad I came."

            "I glad you came too," she said. 

            And Ryoga nodded, not saying anything. There were times when words would only cloud things up, obscure the true message or were simply unnecessary.

            "Quite a sunset, eh, Akane?" Ranma asked as they strolled through the park which had become their favorite haunt since they pledged their love for each other. Sometimes, they would come here to spend the weekend, just camping in these lovely woods. On other days, they would frequent the zoo that lay in the center of the massive park.

            "It sure was, Ranma."

            "You know, Akane, I've been thinking . . ."

            "Now that's rare."

            "Akane, I'm being serious." Ranma said with a slight frown. "It's Ukyo. I'm worried for her. You were right all along. I should have really talked to her about our wedding."

            "See, I was right. You were being a jerk about it all this time." Akane gave him the 'I told you so' look.

            "Well, now the problem is finding Ukyo."

            They continued to walk in silence, Ranma deep in thought. "She's never really disappeared like that before. It's as if she's avoiding us."

            "Maybe she is." Akane said quietly. "We must remember that she's a very heartbroken girl with few real friends in Nerima apart from us."

            "Even so, she ought to have left a note." There was a slight edge of frustration in his voice. "I mean, this is Ucchan we're talking about here. She would have left a note or something. Where on earth could she be?"

            He felt Akane tugging at his sleeve and turned to look at her. "What?"

            She said nothing. Instead she just stood still and pointed over the bushes next to them. There seated on the stone wall of a small bridge under a lit lamp, dangling her feet over the little stream that flowed below was Ukyo Kounji, spatula and all.

            "You don't say . . ."

            Then they both began to notice the person she was with, that boy with the bulging backpack, red umbrella and yellow and black bandanas. Like Ukyo, he was seated with his feet hanging from the bridge. He wasn't looking at Ukyo. In fact, he was looking away, poking holes in the stone.

            "No way . . ." Ranma gaped and gawked.

            "I think Ukyo's decided to move on in life, don't you think?" Akane said with a smile. "My, aren't they cute."    

            "Hehe. Well, as much as I want to see this, I think we should just leave them alone. Hard enough for martial artists to fall in love in this town without being interrupted."

            And with that Ranma and Akane slipped away, leaving the two 'lovebirds' undisturbed.

            "Haven't seen so many stars in a very long time." Ukyo gasped as she looked up into the darkness filled with tiny pinpricks of twinkling quicksilver.

            "Oh, it's nothing to me. I see this all the time, when I'm out there."

            "Don't you ever feel lonely on your travels, Ryoga." Ukyo asked as she continued to marvel at the stars.

            "Sometimes."

            "Then why don't you stop wandering?"

            "It's in my blood, I guess. My parents are almost never home either."

            "At least you get to see them . . . once in awhile. I haven't seen my pop in . . . I dunno." Ukyo shrugged. "And well, the restaurant's a nice place. Except it kinda gets really quiet at times."

            "I'm sure it does."

            "Well, I could always use a spare pair of hands at the restaurant. You keen on that, sugar?" Ukyo shot him a hopeful look.

            "You mean, stay at your place? Just you and me?"

            "Um, well, ah . . . hmmm . . . guess that's not a very good idea." She deflated visibly with a sigh.

            "Guess not." 

            "Well, come on, Ryoga." She said, placing her feet back on the bridge. "It's best we get going."

            "Where to?"

            "Here." She retrieved a tiny slip of paper and handed it to him. It's a bus ticket. I got one of my customers to get it early this morning. Was thinking that you might need it."

            "Thanks, Ukyo. So we don't have to buy one now?"

            "I'll still walk you to the bus station." She winked at him. "Just in case."

            The walk to the bus station was not a very long one and soon they reached the Nerima's main bus interchange. They stopped outside a small convenience store, just short of the bus bays. 

            "Well, I guess this is it, Ryoga."

            "Hey, come on, it's not like I'm leaving Tokyo or anything. Besides, I still owe you for the wrecked bathroom and I will pay you back for that." Ryoga said with a sheepish grin. "I'm a man of my word after all."

            "I know that." Ukyo nodded. "I wish I made you some more okonomiyaki."

            "Aw, come on . . . you don't always have to. It's not like we're married or anything, you know. Besides, I feel bad getting so much free okonomiyaki off you."

            They shared a chuckle. "Well, I'd best be getting back to my place." She yawned. "See you around, Ryoga."

            "Wait." He reached out and grabbed her by the wrist and she turned with a gasp, her heart skipping a beat.

            "Y-yes?"

            "Thanks, _Ucchan_. For today." Ryoga's hand slipped into hers and he gave it a slight squeeze. "I really enjoyed myself today."

            "Uh . . . ah . . . I enjoyed the company too, Ryo_chan_." Her voice was almost gone from her. _He called me _Ucchan! _He called me _Ucchan!

            "Eheheheh. You're most welcome." _She called me _. . . Ryochan?

            "Good night, sugar. Take care of yourself now." Ukyo was walking away now. "See you again soon . . . I hope."

            "Count on it. I'm looking forward to the day."

            "Well, then so am I. So long, P-chan," And then she was gone, disappearing around the corner of the convenience store, leaving Ryoga by himself. He stared down at the ticked and exhaled slowly. 

            "Time to go home, Ryoga," he said to himself and turned. _Bus number 10_ he noted the sign in front of him. _Ah_, _it's the one on the left_. 

            It was really quite unfortunate that an off-duty bus conductor had knocked the sign around while chasing after a dog that had made off with his shoe. He did return later of course, tired but victorious and noted that the sign had been twisted and the bus numbers had been mixed up. But then he assured himself that the inconvenience was negligible since no one normally took these two buses at this time.

            So, happy that he had liberated his shoe and that he had done his mandated one good deed for the day by ensuring that the sign was back to pointing where it should, he put his chewed and gnawed shoe back on and had a smoke break. 

            As for Ryoga, the day had been a very long one and the bruises still hurt. Having settled in one of the plush upholstered seats. _Wow_, _didn't know that the regular buses were so comfy now_. _I've really been out of touch_. He looked at the ticket stub. He was going home . . . but Ukyo might have hit on something just now. Home didn't feel quite like home . . . not when one was alone.

            The driver was in the front seat now, starting up the engine. Ryoga noted absently that there was only one other person on the bus, obviously a foreigner with a map of Japan in his hand and a camera slung around his neck. _Good luck to you_, _buddy_. _This bus ain't going far_. And then, satisfied that he had done something right for today, he replaced the ticket stub in his pocket and went to sleep. It would be a short ride home and the driver would surely wake him. There would be much to dream about tonight.

            Minutes later, the off-duty bus conductor had taken one last drag of his cigarette and noted that Bus No. 12 was departing. As expected, it was almost empty except for two people. One a foreigner while the other a sleeping, bandanna-wearing boy with a gigantic backpack. The conductor checked his calendar.

            _Funny_, he thought. It wasn't the school holidays yet. _Wonder why that boy's taking the overnight express to Kyoto_?

            But the conductor figured he couldn't care less and seeing that his manager wasn't around, retrieved another cigarette and lit up.  

**Endnotes:** And there we are! Another episode done. Ryoga's gonna get lost again, but at least we know where he's headed this time. I had a hard time trying not to get carried away with the WAFFy bits this time round. After all, according to my planned storyline, Ukyo and Ryoga are not supposed to fall in love yet. Aargh . . . must . . . restrain . . . must . . . endure . . .

I'm really beginning to enjoy writing this fic. Hope you had half as much fun reading it as I did writing it. Till the next posting then.


	4. Episode 3

**Author's Notes:** So here we are with another episode. It has been a truly busy time for me lately but somehow, all this stuff is still getting written. Thanks must go to the Almighty for granting me the time to pursue this hobby of mine.

I'm glad to hear that this story is starting to take shape. I had not ever seen myself writing a romance fic ever, and certainly not a Ranma fic. Well, this is a strange world and people do strange things from time to time.

So last episode, we saw Ryoga being diverted because of a stolen and chewed up shoe. What will that mean for Ryoga then? Well, let's find out in this episode where he will start out predictably lost.
    
    **Episode 3: A Lost Cause?**

            Ryoga Hibiki was lost.

            "No, I am not!" Ryoga said to the unseen fanfic writer, who was currently the author of his fate. "I'm just . . . misplaced."

            He looked around for a sign that would tell him where he was. The first hint that he had that something was wrong was that when he finally woke from his nap, it had been bright as day. In fact, it was day.

            He had then alighted at the very next stop and expected to find himself either in Nerima or one of the surrounding towns, but something told him that it was not the case. No, this definitely did _not_ feel like Nerima. Things were too normal here. The absence of roving cults was one big clue.

            Ryoga Hibiki was lost.

            "Alright, alright! That's enough already, you cretin! How dare you mock me!?" Ryoga pointed his finger threateningly at the sky.

            Blah, blah, blah. Sticks and stones. Suit yourself, said the fanfic writer who promptly authored away all road signs in the vicinity. Let's see you get yourself out of this one, Ryoga!

            "Curses! Where am I now?" Ryoga felt the familiar anger simmering in him, his head swiveling around, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything that would give him a clue as to where he was. Perhaps a glimpse of Mt. Fuji would help him gain his bearings. Mysteriously, the road signs around him had either been vandalized beyond readability or had simply been 'erased', vanishing before his very eyes. 

            He felt the heat rising up within him, the temptation to pin this on that okonomiyaki girl. But the feeling was gone quickly. He _must_ still be in Tokyo. After all, how far could the bus have gone? He had probably made several circuits of the bus' route, the driver probably not noticing the one sleeping passenger in the back. But then, he wasn't so sure if they ran buses all through the night in Tokyo.

            Then he saw him. Like an angel of mercy. A vision of hope. It was the tourist he had shared the bus with and he was right ahead, asking a local for directions, map in hand and camera still slung around his neck.

            _Maybe I could ask the same guy for directions_. The tourist and the local were still in deep conversation when Ryoga reached them. The foreigner was jabbering away in a mix of English and Japanese, a language that he had very limited knowledge of from his early school days.

            Ryoga listened for a moment, absorbed what was being said and couldn't help laughing at the hapless tourist. "You're looking for the Kinkaku-ji? The Golden Pavilion?" He said suddenly and both men turned to look at this laughing maniac. "You poor soul! That's in _Kyoto_, my friend!"

            "Um, it's just over there, sir," the local man said, shooting a disgusted look at Ryoga as he spoke to the tourist. "Just follow this road and you'll find it."

            "Yeah! Like after how many days of walking, right?"

            The local looked slightly peeved now and the tourist looked at them both, a look of confusion wrought across his face. "Actually, it's twenty minutes from here."

            Ryoga laughed even louder now, pointing at the tourist and bending over to ease the ache in his stomach. "Come on, man. Stop playing with the poor guy and just tell him the truth. You make it sound as if he's in Kyoto already. Eh? Hahaha . . . Eh?"

            The local wasn't laughing with him. In fact, he was regarding him with a look that one normally reserved for a person who was certifiably insane. He was pointing at a large neon sign that had mysteriously materialized, mounted on the building behind him. It read: 'Kyoto Welcomes All Tourists to See the Golden Pavilion'.

            "No way . . ." Ryoga's jaw fell and felt himself falling backwards into the endless pit, screaming. "_Kyoto_?"

            He felt his legs going weak and he dropped to his knees as the full impact of the shock finally hit him. Kyoto? _I am in _. . . _Kyoto_?

            Author: That's right, pigboy, read 'em and weep 'em.

            "Damn it!" Ryoga thrust his finger into the pavement and it disintegrated in a blast of fragments. 

            "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" the local was running away now. "Police! Someone call the police!"

            The tourist on the other hand was snapping away with his camera. Ryoga fixed him with one of those glowing-eyed stare.

"Point that thing somewhere else . . ." he warned in a low, dangerous growl.

But the man, totally oblivious to the danger, snapped off another shot, and the flash blinded Ryoga. "That was awesome, man! Woohoo! Wait till the folks back home hear about this! They're never going to believe you just did that with your finger. Pity all the fragments had to hit you though!" He was laughing.

Ryoga snarled. It was an animal sound, definitely not human. Here he was, hundreds of miles away from home, tired and frustrated, humiliated by a man who hardly knew his way around the country and who now had the cheek to snap candid shots of him. It was really too much for him to take and he felt the sensation running through, the flowing of pure energy.

            Author: Oh, no.

            "Oh, yes!" Ryoga brought his hands together. "SHISHI HOKOUDAN!"

            That day, thousand of residents would report having seen a great column of light rising from downtown Kyoto into the heavens. Researchers from a nearby seismic activity monitor station also observed a sudden jump in the Richter scale that would later prove to be unexplainable, resulting in all that precious equipment being sold off for scrap. The station was closed down and the disgraced scientists reassigned to volcano watch duty instead. Only a real earthquake, some two decades later, convinced the government to reopen the station and install brand new equipment to appease the residents.

            At least Ryoga had the presence of mind to flee ground zero immediately after the immense discharge of 'chi' energy within him. Months without fighting Ranma had allowed far too much of it to store up. And the blast had been absolutely devastating. 

            Some thought it was the finger of God. Others thought it was a great alien spaceships crashing on earth, the legacy of a alien genius from the other end of the galaxy (Sorry, I couldn't resist the Macross reference again.)

Those who had witnessed or lived through the destruction firsthand would return to their homes, telling of a great modern-day deity who walked amongst men. That the ancient gods had not forgotten how the people had turned away from their worship and devotions and followed the ways of the material world instead. 

            Within a week of this great blast and pillar of light, would be thereafter referred to as the Heavenly Mandate and Kyoto's numerous temples which had long since fallen into disuse, serving as nothing more than tourist attractions, were once again filled with devout worshippers as a religious revival of epic proportions spread through the city.

            But for Ryoga, he had simply, ran and ran, partly out of fear for the local authorities, partly out of frustration. And he had gone on and on, searching desperately for the way back to Tokyo. Time and distance lost all meaning for him as he simply ran, stopping only occasionally to seek directions.

            Even as he finally left the outskirts of Kyoto and headed south, the first residents were beginning to throng in the city's temples to rededicate their lives to their ancient beliefs.

            There was a crack of thunder and Ukyo felt an inexplicable chill. She was just closing up for the evening, sweeping up the dried leaves that had fallen at her restaurant's entrance. 

            There would be rain tonight. A storm again, perhaps. Without thunder and lightning and boy, did she hate storms. Especially when she was alone. She heard a metallic sound and caught movement with the corner of her eye. Instinctively, her hand reached out and caught the shiny object in midair. It was a coin.

            "Do you mind if we stopped by for a little okonomiyaki?"

            That voice made Ukyo blood freeze and her heart stop. _Ranma_!

            "Um, Ucchan?"

            _Think_, _girl_! _It_'_s Ranchan_! She turned but her large smile died on her lips when she saw Akane by Ranma's side. She wanted to say no, but there was another clap of thunder. _A sign_? 

Boom. 

_Nah_ . . .  

Crash! 

_Ok_, _definitely a sign_.

            "Um, well, come on in. The grill's still hot anyway!" She did her best to flash a smile as she invited them into her restaurant. 

            She was behind the grill in a flash, preparing two pizzas for the couple now sitting in front of her. She worked in silence, unable to find the right words to say. It was Akane who finally spoke first.

            "Ukyo, you have been behaving very strangely lately."

            "I have?"

            "You've not been yourself, Ucchan." Ranma said, finally knowing when to take a cue from Akane when he got one. "Has there been anything bothering you?"

            "Aw, don't worry about me, Ranchan. I'm fine." Ukyo said as she finished up the okonomiyaki and set it down on the plates in front of the couple. "There we go."

            "Um, Ukyo, you forgot the sauce."

            "Huh? Oh, silly me!" Ukyo's laughter was faked. "Oh, I guess I've just been working a little too hard lately, that's all!"

            "Don't you get lonely here?" Akane asked. "I mean, now that you're all alone?"

            Ukyo half-glared at her. Was Akane gloating over how she had gotten Ranma in the end? No. Ukyo shook her head. _She is just concerned. Indeed, I have not been the same_ . . . _not since_ . . . _well, not since these two_ . . .

            "Say, where's Ryoga?" Ranma asked absently.

            "Ryoga?" Ukyo asked, trying hard to hide the shock. "I don't know what you're talking about!" Her reply had come too quickly, but it was too late to take those words back now. She saw Akane elbow him hard in the ribs.

            "Hehehe. I don't, either. Hahaha." Ranma chuckled. "What was I thinking?"

            Ukyo felt her gut twisting. Had Ranma and Akane known about Ryoga's unexpected visit? Had they seen her with him? And if so, _what_ had she been doing when they saw her?

            "Um. You could always come stay at the dojo if you want. Our doors are always open." Akane said by way on invitation. Ukyo felt her heart breaking. It was just the way Akane had said the word 'our'.

            "It's ok, Akane. You two are most kind. I'll certainly remember your offer should the need ever arise." 

            "Say, could I use the bathroom for awhile?" Akane asked suddenly and Ukyo paled.

            "Ak! Um, well, I'm kinda doing some renovations now . . . Uh, ah . . . it's kinda messy with all the hacking and all." Ukyo lied.

            "Oh, that's a shame." Akane frowned a little. "Hey, Ranma. I think I ought to go home first. Why don't you stay a little longer and chat with Ukyo?"

            "Hey, it's late, I ought to . . ."

            "No, no, no." Akane laughed as she pounded him brutally on the shoulder and pulled him close and hissed. "Ranma, you _idiot_! You _promised_!"

            "Huh? Oh . . . ah, yeah! Hehe." Then he turned to his childhood friend, scratching the back of head awkwardly before saying. "Maybe I ought to keep you company a little longer, Ucchan!" 

            "Yeah. Don't worry about a macho chick like me. I can take care of myself, right?"

            "Of course! A macho chick like . . ."

            The hammer had materialized from out of nowhere. One moment Akane's hands were empty, the next, she had brought the blunt object down on her fiance's head with earthshaking force. "Dummy. See you later then."

            And with that, she stepped out of the restaurant leaving a very perplexed Ukyo and a very sore Ranma behind.

            "Oooooh," Ranma groaned as he pulled himself up, nursing the huge bump that had begun to sprout on his head, protruding through his hair. "There are times when she can just be so uncute . . ."

            "But you still love her, don't you?" Ukyo asked, trying to mask all signs of sadness from her tone.

            "Of course I do, Ucchan." Then he caught the look on her face and turned serious. "And that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

            "Huh?" Ukyo gasped in mild surprise, then tried to show him an irritated look. "What's there to talk about? You chose her. And left me alone."

            That seemed to hit Ranma pretty hard and he recoiled, hurt by her bitterness. Ukyo felt a rising urge to let it all out. The frustration, the anger, the disappointment. _No_, _you will not do this_. She sighed very softly. _It is not all his fault_. _And a part of you still loves him_.

            "Ucchan . . ." Ranma placed his hand on her shoulders and pulled her a little closer. She looked at him for one surprised moment, stared down at the floor, averting his eyes. "And I'm sorry I can't find the right words to tell you how sorry I am."

            "I thought we would get married, Ranma Saotome!" Ukyo suddenly burst out, the tears flowing freely now. "I loved you Ranma! Even before you met Akane! And yet, you left me. Not once, but _twice_!"

            Ranma faced her in silence, lips moving but no words coming. He thought briefly of pointing out that he had been promised to Akane even before Ukyo's father had offered the elder Saotome his okonomiyaki cart as dowry. But that would serve no purpose in this conversation so he left it out. 

            "How much can you expect a girl to bear? One way or the other, you were my life! But I just bring myself to hate you anymore! And if I can't love you . . ."

            "I'm sorry, Ucchan. Believe me, I am." Ranma said softly, reaching out to wipe the tears away. "I had to make a choice . . . and I realized that it was Akane whom I loved most."

            Ukyo forced herself to nod her head. She had prepared for this. She had told herself that one day this would happen, that Ranma would finally talk to her about this. And she had rehearsed everything in her mind. Had sat in front of a mirror even to practice.

She thought she had it all figured out. How to come across as the girl who had done nothing to deserve being treated this way and yet was willing to accept his choice no matter how unfair it was.

            "Ucchan, don't cry. I'm still your best friend right?"

            Ukyo nodded jerkily. Then in a broken voice, she managed, "Ranma, let's not talk about this tonight. Akane is waiting for you."

            There was another clap of thunder and Ukyo flinched, Ranma steadying her, hands still gripping her shoulders.

            "But . . ."

            "Another day, Ranma." She said firmly. Then her tone took a pleading note. "Please. I've been very tired lately." 

Ranma said nothing, still holding her by shoulders, unable to say anything.

"I'm not avoiding the subject, Ranchan. I won't as long as you don't. But . . . I realize I'm just . . . not ready to talk about it yet."

            "Ucchan . . ." But Ranma already knew that as far as she was concerned, this conversation was over. He pulled her close in a hug and felt that cold veneer of hers peeling away. "I'm sorry."

            Ukyo's heart melted with that hug. How she had longed for him to do that! And now he finally was. But it wasn't under circumstances that she had ever imagined. No, she never ever dreamed it would happen this way. She savored the hug, the warmth, which was over far too quickly.

            "Ucchan, I do hope you will find the love of your life someday." Ranma said as he got up to leave. "I am so sorry it wasn't me."

            "Yeah. I'm sorry too." Her reply was a barely audible whisper. "Good night, Ranchan. Give Akane my regards."

            "I will. Goodnight, Ucchan." 

            And then he was gone and she was finally alone again in her grief, an old wound that had now been ripped open. She felt a paroxysm of grief and coursing through her body. "Damn you, Ranma . . ." 

            And the tears fell freely onto the grill, sizzling.

            Also alone now in his grief several hundred (if not thousand miles) away, was Ryoga Hibiki, standing atop a snow-capped mountain that he had _thought_ was Mount Fuji. There had been no reason to suspect that it was _not_ Mt. Fuji (nor was there evidence to suggest the contrary). But from his viewpoint thousands of meters above sea level, he saw nothing but forlorn darkness below him. It was almost as dark as the black, empty void in his soul that had always hoped to fill with Akane's love.

            He looked again in every direction, but did not see the familiar array of lights in the distance that would have been Tokyo. There wasn't even the diffuse glow on the horizon that denoted the presence of some major settlement in any direction. 

            In simple words, he was lost.

            Author: Again. Now why am I not surprised?

            "Not now," Ryoga said simply to the author, much of the strength gone from his voice. The howling wind whipped against his body, the icy cold biting into him and he grit his teeth. All that effort running up here . . . for _nothing_. There wasn't even a view to enjoy. _Damn it_!

            Ryoga was finally tired and the weariness was hitting him like a wave. He could not understand why every single person he had asked for directions kept pointing him back in the direction that he had come. He was very sure he had combed the region for north to south, south to north, east to west, west to east, northeast to southwest . . . well, you get the picture, don't you?

            Judging by the search pattern that he had been running all day, he was certain that a 2168-square-kilometer city that was home to 12 million people could not possibly have eluded him. He had steered clear of all major bodies of water so he was pretty sure he was still in Japan.

            But as with almost any other time in his life that he stood on the summit of a mountain, cliff or hill, gazing down on the land below, he felt the familiar pangs of despair. In the day, he would be able to see creation stretch for miles upon miles under his feet. The great expanse of Mother Nature. And he would not know where he was. And now he couldn't even retrace his steps since he hadn't the slightest clue which way he had come. The falling snow had already erased his tracks.

            In the old days, he would simply placed the blamed on Saotome. But he found that he couldn't really do that this time. After all, didn't Ukyo buy him the ticket? _Leave Ukyo out of this_, a voice inside him growled and he felt mild shock. 

"Who said that?" He asked aloud into the blowing wind, choking on snow that was blown down his throat.

_Follow the script_, _you fool_!

"_What_? What script?" 

But there was no reply this time. He wondered if he had even heard that voice at all. He was tired and cold, the long day's trek had finally tested his strength to its limit and he simply could not go on.

            He put his rucksack down and extracted his tent, trying to fix it in the high winds. It wasn't working out. The winds were preventing him from pitching the tent properly since the wide surface caught the wind like a sail and kept threatening to tear itself from his grasp. A really strong gust blew and Ryoga felt the tent slipping from his grip. He tightened and the motion stopped, the material straining against his taut grip. He bared his fangs, feeling a small sense of victory at having defied the elements just this once.

            Then he heard a tearing sound. It wasn't really audible because of the wind that screamed past his ear, but he no longer felt the straining at his hand and he turned to see the better part of his tent flapping away into the darkness, tossed and spun around him before his eyes, as if nature were taunting him.

            _Now what_? Ryoga wanted to kill someone. _Why does this always have to happen to me_? _Why_? It was that idiot Saotome! It was all _his_ fault. It was _his_ fault for taking away his sweet Akane and depriving Ukyo of love. It was _his_ fault that he was now depressed over losing Akane, causing to come out wandering here. It was _his_ fault that Ukyo was so devastated and that he could not stand seeing her so down. It was _his _fault that he became P-chan and could never enjoy true affection. _Even Ukyo calls me pigboy_! _It's all Saotome's fault from running out on that duel, causing me to follow across China _. . .  _to Jusenkyo_ . . .

            "Bakusai tenketsu!" He drove his finger into the ground and ground bulged then exploded in a rushing torrent of frozen earth and snow.

            Ryoga felt the frozen debris pelt his already battered body before finding himself in a shallow hole. _Wait a second_ . . . An idea formed._ I don't have a tent but _. . . He looked at his index finger then at the ground a small, tired grin creasing his features. _Why not_?

            Using the 'Breaking Point' technique as rapidly as he dared he churned open the ground, the great furrow scarring the mountaintop. Time no longer held any meaning for him as he channeled his anger into creating his shelter from the night.

            High above him in space, one of America's ultra-sophisticated KEYHOLE satellites, trained its telescopic 'eye' on this strange disturbance atop this Japanese mountain. Observers at both NORAD and the Pentagon had absolutely no idea what they were looking at and within the hour, the CIA was called in to provide an analysis. It took hundreds of analysts and specialists thousands of man-hours to finally come up with the only available conclusion several days later. Japan had begun it's own nuclear weapons program and had begun digging deep silos in mountains from which to launch their new missiles. The effect of diplomatic relations between the two nations in the months to come was indeed profound.

            Ryoga finally stopped after some time and realized that he had created a fair-sized tunnel network that allowed him to sleep in a warm chamber some distance underground. Satisfied with his handiwork, he dragged his knapsack underground, made his way through the handmade tunnels and dropped wearily into the 'bedroom' he had fashioned for himself. He did not have anything to build a fire with, but so deep underground, he was relatively warm.

            He leaned against the pack, trying to make himself as comfortable as possible and closed his eyes, willing himself to forget the traumatic events that had transpired earlier in the day. For a blessed moment, he felt the weariness start to claim him. It was always like that when he was in the great outdoors. Sleep did not come unless he was too tired to think of anything else.

            Thinking of Akane seldom worked nowadays since he would inevitably end up thinking of Ranma and that would really get him worked up. Just as he was about to slip off into the oblivion of dreamland, he was jolted awake by a single stray thought.

            _Ukyo_'s _tub_!

            He wasn't entirely sure why that thought had suddenly invaded his mind, overriding whatever sleep programs the soft, gray organic central processor in his head was beginning to run, but the memory of Ukyo's wrecked bathroom came flashing back to mind.

            _How will Ukyo bathe with her bathroom in such a state_? Again, he didn't know why such a totally irrelevant thought was visiting him at such a time. He dug into his pockets and came up with a small handful for crumpled banknotes. He hoped that he could find more money at home. He did have a pretty modest sum of money at home and though he wasn't sure when was the last time he had found his savings container.

            Then again, there was always his savings account. If could find a bank, he'd be able to make the necessary withdrawals. _But then it's no point worrying about banks or automated teller machines since I'm stuck on top of a mountain_. 

            _Anyway_, _how's she_ _gonna take a bath_? The thought still nagged at him. Then he slapped his forehead. _There are public baths_, _you cretin_! So, relieved that he had finally got that problematic thought out of the way, he settled down to sleep. But then, the darker side of him was straying off again, not quite ready to enter the oblivious nothingness of sleep.

            _Hmmm_ . . . _since we're on the subject of Ukyo in the bath_ . . . He was appalled at himself for even thinking that way about her. His hands balled into fists, gripping handfuls of the frozen soil. _No_! She was a friend and yet here he was fantasizing about her. 

It was an unpardonable betrayal of her trust! He could imagine her telling him to get his mind out of the gutter, very likely following that demand with the brutal smackdown from her spatula. He willed those unclean thoughts out of his mind, just as he began mentally undressing her but the vision of her remained, dressed in that tube top. _Ryochan_ . . . _she called me Ryochan_ . . . 

            It was a strangely appealing and familiar feeling. And he was beginning to feel warmer now despite that heavy snow that was starting to fall. He could see her in front him now, a part of his mind told him that none of it was real. But he saw her there, smiling at him as she prepared okonomiyaki for him, snatching those mini-spatulas from her bandolier and working them furiously against her grill. What he would give for one of those delicious treats now . . . 

            So that was it, he told himself. _You're just so hungry now, you're imagining things_. He tried to recall if he had any consumables stashed in his backpack, but his mind drew a blank. Besides, the vision of Ukyo was morphing.

            And then he saw her in that revealing pink dress again. The gift from Prince Toma. And she was absolutely gorgeous . . . _Why hadn't I noticed before_? Ryoga wondered, smiling at the vision of beauty before his eyes. Even her ferocity appealed to him, her frequent refusal to embrace her femininity. _If I had loved_ _her instead_, _would I be out here, depressed over Akane_? _Days lost lamenting lost days_? Now that was a really serious question and he felt himself coming awake again despite his best efforts to force himself to sleep. _You don't suppose it's too late now_ . . .? 

            _No_, _save it_. _Your life is bad enough as it is now_. _Don't make it worse_. He imagined Akane now, her face appearing next to Ukyo's, the look in her eyes accusing. _No_, _I cannot betray Akane_ . . .

            _But she was never yours to begin with_. He saw Ranma now, putting an arm around Akane. _Give it up Ryoga_.

            He wanted to scream, lash out at that vision of Ranma, but realized that it was all in the mind. He felt a wave of depression passing through him, its weight crushing. _Why can't I ever be happy_? The depression had worsened lately and happy thoughts were few and far between. But tonight, he had found one more precious thing that made him happy.

            He banished Akane and Ranma from his mind and focused on that smiling okonomiyaki chef. _Forgive me, Ukyo_ . . . _I just need to borrow you for my dreams_. _Just tonight_.

            She was there, looking down at him now, surrounded by a wreath of flowers in full bloom. A gentle breeze was tugging at her flowing brown hair. He knew that thinking about her this way too often was going to make him fall for her. But he couldn't be bothered with such consequences now. Thinking of her chased the depression away and he found his eyelids getting heavier and heavier as he mind began to wander.

            Ryoga wasn't sure when he finally nodded off to sleep. But when he did so, that image of Ukyo still lingered and he had taken it to dreamland with him.

**Endnotes:** And thus endeth another episode. I'm certainly not going to let Ryoga and Ukyo fall for each other that soon. As you can see, it's going to be a rather drawn out affair since they both obviously still have issues that they must first resolve on their own.

I would also like to thank you people for the reviews which have all certainly been very useful and enlightening. It'll definitely help in creating other the other chapters. I am currently contemplating a format similar to the original manga and animated series. While the first few episodes are all connected, I intend to branch out to other min-plots (ie three-parters similar to the animated series) 

In fact, I actually sat down and came up some very rough ideas. I actually came up with close to twenty episodes. Of course, that would change in time to come as I scrutinize each one more carefully.

I'm still pretty amused that I am trying to tell a love story since it's really not my forte. Thanks be to the great forces that have granted me this ability to sustain a story of such nature. No, I don't think I'll credit the Deity of Fanfic Writers Breaking Out of Their Mould for this one.

Well, I hoped you enjoyed this slightly more serious episode. More WILL follow. And yes, as long as this story continues, there will be more cult madness. So until next time, you have my sincerest thanks for your support and readership.

Respectfully submitted,

Alvin


	5. Episode 4

**Author's Notes:** It's been too long since I've last written. I've been quite busy. Serving one's nation call for some uncompromising schedules sometimes. Well, anyway, I've managed to finally get this episode written. 

For those of you who are interested in knowing, I've got the rough storyline done for my series. Hopefully I will be able to see this work to completion. In total, I've got something like 25 episodes. And this is the first of my two/three-parters. 

Well, thanks again go to the people who created all the Ranma stuff and also to all the fanfic writers before me who have done a great deal of excellent and inspiring work. And of course to the readers for your support and comments. 

**The Breaking Point Part I**
    
    **Episode 4: The Lost Boy Returns . . . Again**

            Another dawn. Again the first rays of light came spearing over the mountaintops, cutting through the darkness, heralding the coming of a new day. But to Ryoga who slumbered, literally buried six feet under, he did not see the coming of day.

            His undisturbed mind was slow to wake. He came to when it finally decided that it had enough rest. He rose abruptly, realizing that it was still dark around him and almost drove his head through the ceiling of packed soil above him.

            _Ouch_. He frowned and tried to get his bearings. He was underground again. Twisting around, he orientated his body, searching for the exit. There was light coming through an opening up ahead. It was the brilliant light of day; he wrapped his hand around one of the backpack straps and dragged it behind as he moved over to the snow-edged hole, his brain coming fully alert now. 

            Many miles up in space, the orbiting KEYHOLE satellite noted another disturbance. A very slight one. It was a head, poking out of the snow. No one seemed to notice it even though the satellite got pretty good pictures of a head wrapped with a bandanna emerging from a hole in the ground. Analysts were still trying to figure out the previous night's disturbance.

            The morning air hit him like a wave. It was cool and refreshing, compared to the air that had gone stale the night before in his burrow. Now he could finally survey the land around him. 

            It was barren

            Totally devoid of humanity. There was not even the slightest sign of human habitation anywhere on the horizon. All he could see around him were other snowcapped mountains and the deep valleys between them. 

            _Now which way should I go_? He asked himself. _Head east_ _maybe_. Ryoga looked for the sun, saw it, and promptly headed down the mountain in the opposite direction. _I'm going to find Nerima_ . . . _I've got to_!

            And he began his run down the snow-covered incline, his unprotected feet struggling through the knee-deep snow. There was only one thing in his mind. _Find home_.

            His foot caught on something and he tipped forward, falling face first into the snow. He held out a hand to stop himself, but it was already too late. His feet were already kicking in the air as he ploughed forward, his neck twisting at an impossible angle. He heard some vertebrae pop as his feet dangle above his head. Then his feet were beginning to dig into the snow next to his ears. 

            His head connected with a boulder and the impact sending him catapulting through the frigid air, limbs flailing wildly. He came crashing into the snow again with bone-shattering force and he lost all control of his rapid descent. He fell head over heels and the pain kept alternating between his head and his posterior.

            Again, the KEYHOLE satellite picked up another anomaly. But again no one seemed to notice the ball of snow that rolled down the mountainside, getting larger and larger as it went. 

            Ryoga had almost blacked out inside the white interior of his snowball. The world continued to toss him over and over, but the pain was gone now, replaced by this growing nausea as he rolled downhill. His awareness of his orientation blurred compounding his already horrid senses of direction and he the blackness had reduced his vision to only tiny points of light.

            Just when he thought he would finally black out, his world came to an abrupt stop. The liquids in his body continue to spin in contradicting directions while he struggled to regain his bearings. 

            When he finally extracted himself from that cursed ball of snow and ice, he was in a lamentable state. His snowball had come to grief against a great boulder. Every joint in his body ached, throbbing in agony at the sudden overextensions. He huffed breathlessly as he crawled away from the mound of snow that had been the great ball only moments before. 

            _Get up_! He made a frustrated sound as he hauled himself to his feet. Several more joints popped back into place, but he was beyond caring about the pain. He felt a murderous rage building up within him and he let fly at the boulder with his finger. To the common observer, it would look like a simple prick. 

            Cracks spread from the point of impact and the boulder seemed to shatter. Then it disintegrated into millions of tiny shards and a depression seemed to appear in the snow as the entire rock simply self-destructed.

            As the roar of stone chips rushing past him subsided, he had expected to hear silence. But instead, he was met with the deep rumble. He felt it more than he actually heard it, the ground trembling under his feet as thin sheets of snow began slide past his legs.

            _What the_ . . .? His eyes traced the source of the sound and he certainly did not like what he saw. Ice. Snow. Thousands . . . make that hundreds of thousands of tons of it, were bearing down on him, rolling down the side of the mountain in one gigantic, crushing wave.

            His eyes widened in horror at the sight of this tidal wave of frigid death and destruction coming at him. It seemed to move slowly at first, menacing and unstoppable. When he finally forced his body back into action, turning to run, it was already too late. The leading edge of the avalanche caught him and he was drawn helplessly into the great deluge of snow. 

            If his earlier 'ride' in a snowball had been painful, his 'stay' in the avalanche was absolutely excruciating. He felt his already overextended joints contorting in ways that he had not thought possible even after his recent experience in the snowball and he reached a new level of physical agony as he continued his downhill journey.

            With the greatly increased pressure of crushed ice on him this time, couple with the greater force that pushed him forward, he really blacked out. Which was just as well since the avalanche took him through a forest, slamming his limp form from tree to tree before finally allowing him to come to rest against another massive boulder.

            It was awhile before he finally came to again. He woke to the sounds of the forest and when he finally cracked his frost-covered eyelids open, he was greeted by the sight of sunlight stabbing at his eyes through the thin foliage of the trees that towered over him.

            For the umpteenth time that day, Ryoga pulled himself to his feet. There were aches and pains in places that he didn't know he had places, but he didn't let them stop him from standing. So maybe he really hurt in some place and maybe he would have incapacitated if he were unfortunate enough to bump those injured spots, but he told himself that he had to keep going.

            The pack rested uneasily on his bruised and battered shoulders and even he had to grit his teeth slightly at the pain. He shifted the weight, trying to balance it out and took a step forward, testing his throbbing knees. 

            They worked.

            He took a few more steps, adjusting his posture and the pack so as to minimize the pain and found that he could still make good time despite his injuries. Maybe the real pain would come later. He stared at his surroundings. It was the same everywhere. Trees, trees and more trees. He closed his eyes for a while and concentrated, willing for some spiritual prompting to show him the way. _Well_, _certainly enough people were putting their trust in the divine back in Nerima so I guess it wouldn't hurt to try_ . . .

            He concentrated. He focused. He meditated. 

            He thought of all the deities he knew and even created a few of his own in the process and sought them all for their help. He tried to attune his senses with the Force. _Wasn't there something about how it is in everything around us_? But either he wasn't trying hard enough or he was simply not Force-sensitive at all.

            When he opened his eyes again, he was still standing in the middle of a forest, confronted with the same problem of which way to go. Not even a breeze blew to give him the slightest excuse to call something a sign.

            In times like this, he would simply move forward and hope for the best, which was what he did. He threaded his way through the thick forest. Sooner or later he would be clear of the trees and then he would be able to concentrate on finding his way back to Nerima.

Little did Ryoga know that his journey to Nerima was only beginning. For the purposes of the plot, the author had decided that it would be appropriate as well as necessary that he'd get lost for another four or five days.

However, even the best-laid plans are sometimes overtaken by events.

            What the author did not anticipate was the sudden onslaught by the Cult of Fanfic Readers For More Regular fanfiction.net Postings who had suddenly invaded his world, causing him to flee into his room where he was trapped until he finally gave in to starvation and depravation of privileges, promising to post more frequently in exchange for his continued existence. Satisfied with their latest achievement, the Cult moved on and work resumed.

            But this would leave Ryoga in a limbo, which in story time would amount to almost two weeks. It was an unfortunate consequence of having such a slacker as the author of one's fate.

            And so for now, it will suffice to say that Ryoga simply spent his time wandering. 

            And wandering.

 _I loved you Ranma_! _Even before you met Akane_! _And yet_, _you left me_. _Not once_, _but_ twice! 

            Ranma had woken with a start. It hadn't quite been a nightmare, but Ukyo's words had hit him harder than he had expected. He had spent the entire weekend thinking about his friend, unable to grasp the depth of the hurt and bitterness that she felt at him.

            He looked towards the window and noted that it was still dark. The far-off droning that was probably the sound of people in prayer was no longer as noticeable before. He squinted at his alarm clock and noted that he still had an hour to go before it was once again time to wake up for school.

            Akane shifted slightly beside him and he pulled his fiancée a little closer to him. She still moved violently in her sleep, but Ranma had the timing so ingrained in his mind now that he could avoid getting stomped, prodded, shoved or jabbed. Right now, closer to dawn, she slept a little more peacefully and he wrapped his arms around her in a loving hug.

            _Oh_, _Akane_ . . . _what am I to do_? He looked up at the ceiling, as if straining to gaze up into the heavens, searching for an answer. In fact, one floor above them, a quartet of worshippers from the Salvation through Enshrouding Darkness Movement, looked earnestly up at the cloudless sky, seeking answers as well.

            Ranma's mind whirled. He did not know what to do. What could he say to Ukyo that would make things right again? What could he do to brings things back to the way they were? He continued to stare at the wooden beams up ahead, staring to intently that they might have broken under the pressure. But the answers were not there. The cold timbers stared back at him, mute and unmoving.

            _How much can you expect a girl to bear? One way or the other, you were my life! But I just bring myself to hate you anymore! And if I can't love you _. . . 

            Those words struck him like another blow. A blow that neither Ryoga nor any other opponents that he had ever met could deliver. This one went right through his defenses and shook him at the very core of his being. Ukyo Kounji. Ucchan. Hurt. And it was all his fault.

            There was no one else to blame this time. Akane stirred, becoming aware of his presence. She didn't open her eyes but snuggled closer to him. Ranma stared at the girl he loved and asked himself why. _Why did I choose you, Akane_? _Why do I love you more_? She couldn't hear his thoughts and she didn't answer so he contented himself with hugging her tight. 

            Those painful thoughts were rapidly coming to a head. He could sense it. There had to be some form of resolution soon. He could stand to leave the matter at rest no longer. But what to tell her? What to say?

            _Akane_ . . . _I don't know what to do_ . . . He savored the warmth of her body against his. He closed his eyes again, trying to will away the negative thoughts. He would talk to Ukyo again. Maybe this time alone. They had to get to the root of the problem and resolve it once and for all.

            For all his faults, Ranma Saotome recognized when he had hurt a friend and when he had to do something about it. The only problem was figuring out what had to be done in order to make amends.

*******

She was somewhere far away. Her logic could not explain how she had come to that conclusion. She just knew it in the depths of her subconscious awareness. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she seemed to be floating in some void, surrounding by bright white light that seemed to have no noticeable source. Again, her logic failed to adequately explain how this was actually possible.

_Am I _. . . _dead_? There was a fleeting thought of Ranma and she felt the familiar stab of pain. Have I gone without getting the chance to say goodbye to him? 

            _It would be just as well if I were dead_ . . . Ukyo Kounji felt incredibly light and she savored the feeling of being free of the burden that had stifled her endlessly for months. 

            But just as she thought that her emotional weight had magically been lifted off her, she heard a beep and another and another. _What the _. . .?  The beeping had taken on a more insistent tone and she felt the light receding from her, as if some invisible hand was pulling her away from it all.

            Her mind was wrenched violently and abruptly back to reality as her eyes snapped open. That irritating beeping was still sounding next to her left ear and she rolled her body in that direction and saw her brand new alarm clock flashing at her. 

            It was one of those new designs with 'light and sound' guaranteed to wake the dead. She grabbed the offending device, feeling around for the button to kill its annoying caterwauling. Through her sleep-fogged eyes, she found the protrusion and pressed it down with no small amount of viciousness. She was of course careful enough to limit the amount of force since she didn't want to replace the clock yet again.

            The silence that met her was deafening and she felt her ears rings and she rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. She let a loud sigh escape her body as she felt the familiar weight sinking back down on her.

            _Ranma_ . . .

            She forced herself to sit up even though she really didn't feel like it. Her mornings were mostly like this. It surprised her that she somehow managed to motivate herself to rise from her bed every morning. She spent a moment just sitting there, letting the head clear and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

            _Will you just get over him_, _girl_? Ukyo felt the coming of a slight headache. A sign that she had not slept enough the night before. But a glance at the alarm clock and at the glow of the rising sun outside her window told her that she didn't really have the means to address that problem. Tossing her blanket aside, she crawled out of bed, feeling the chill of the morning biting at her.

            _Another day of school_, she thought as he stood herself out and headed to the wardrobe to change. She had pretty much set her body on automatic and she ran through her usual morning rituals without much conscious thought.   Oh, the tub was still a shattered wreck and she's certainly have to get that fixed soon but somehow, she had inexplicably left it that way for the better part of a fortnight now. So it wasn't a tub anymore. _Big deal_, she thought. The water still ran and the drainage still worked so it could pass for a crude shower.

            Her walk to school had been painfully ordinary. Fraught with indescribable boredom. Ever since Ranma had declared his love for Akane, Ukyo had dreaded going to school. Just seeing them together killed a part of her every time. 

            But that was her heart talking. Her head told her that she needed to go to school since now that she didn't have Ranma to depend on, she'd have to earn a living and even with the okonomiyaki business, it was always safer to have some paper qualifications somewhere in case she ever needed to find a job. Not that a high school education would really get her far but at least it was something.

            As she walked to school today, she found herself dragging her feet again. Something that she had not done since . . . she frowned and tried to remember when she had stopped dragging her feet to school.

            Yes . . . it was the night since Ryoga had ended up at her place, wasn't it? For a few days after that, her life had seemed a little more normal. It wasn't that she liked Ryoga or anything like that. But that Lost Boy had simply turned up when she had been feeling at her loneliest. That doofus had unknowingly filled a void, both physical and emotional when he had first tunnel his way into basement of her restaurant.

            She began to wonder about him now. It had been nearly two weeks since she had seen him off at the bus station. She wondered if he would be true to his word about paying for the repairs to her bathroom. One of the reasons that she had not arranged for repairs was because she was waiting for Ryoga to return and settle his end of the bargain. She didn't want him to reappear only to find that the job had already been done and paid for.

            But two weeks had seemed like an obscenely long time to wait and she as beginning to tire of seeing that pathetic excuse of a bathroom everyday. The more she looked at it, the more it reminded her of ground zero in some pictures she had seen of Hiroshima and Nagasaki back when the A-bombs had been dropped.

            _Ah_, _what the hell_ . . . _I guess I ought to call the contractor today. Get the damn place fixed up_. Ryoga was probably lost again. A part of her did hope that he was lost trying to find his way back to Ucchan's, with the money to pay her for the repairs that needed to be done.

            A vision of Ryoga lost on a snow-capped mountain popped into her mind and she couldn't help smiling at that. He must have been watching the sunrise and telling himself he'd head that way but end up heading west instead. There had been times long ago when she had thought it impossible for such a directionless cretin to exist. But having joined him in a martial arts hot springs race so long ago had proven to her that his pathetic sense of direction was chronic enough to be declared a genetic defect.

            How they'd won that race, she'd never know. It must have been pure blind luck. After that, they'd ended up in Atami, which had been a famous tourist spot for its hot springs, though he had made some mentioned of a place called Jusenkyo. Of course, she'd not understood the connection until recently. Like Ranma, Ryoga had fallen into those cursed springs as well and while Ranchan turned into a girl on contact with cold water, Ryoga turned into P-chan.

            Ukyo felt sorry for him. Not only did he possess such an embarrassing cursed form, it was also the only way he'd ever been able to get close to his true love, Akane. _Such sad lives that we both lead_. At times, she did feel that she and Ryoga had more in common than they'd ever realize.

            She was coming into sight of school now. That familiar, ugly clock tower protruded from the main block, its scarred clock face proudly displaying the time to all students of the Furinkan High School and _wait_ . . .

            She heard the familiar chiming sound. _Classes starting already_? _Was she that late_? According to the school clock, she was still a good half hour early. _So why _. . .? Then she saw the gates beginning to close and she felt her blood run cold. _What in the hell_ . . .?

            "Bwahahaha!" She heard the familiar, maniacal laughter as that tanned man with the idiotic-looking sunglasses and the even more moronic Hawaiian outfit suddenly appeared perched atop the rapidly closing school gate. "New rulez, people! Da skool now starts a half hour earlier and you're all late! Dat means toilet-scrubbing for ya all!"

            He had a thick stack of flyers in his hands and he threw them out to the students who were still outside the school compound. Ukyo caught one of the flimsy sheets and was about to read it when she Ranma Saotome came bounding along the wall with Akane in tow.

            The pigtailed martial artist, not seeming to notice the principal in his way (or choosing deliberately to ignore him) ran through the evil Principal Kuno, striking a glancing blow.

            The older man struggled for balance even as he tried to close to gate and realized that he could do neither. Finally losing the battle with gravity, he lost his grip on the gate and felt unceremoniously to the ground, dragging the school gate wide open as he did.

            A cheer went up as the students of Furinkan charged through the open portal, eager to get into school before their Principal could recover. Ukyo heaved a short sigh of relief that they had all been saved once more from one of their psychotic principal's nefarious schemes to bring hardship to the school's student population.

            There was always the possibility that he would try something later in the day, but that was a rather nasty fall that he had. And he didn't look like he was going to get up anytime yet.

            Even as she joined the crush of students pouring into the school's courtyard, she saw Principal Kuno struggling to rise. "Curse you, Saotome!" The elder Kuno said, flashing his middle finger at the back of the fleeing martial artist and his fiancée. And then he was trampled flat by the scores of students that he had so maliciously planned to lock out of school. 

            Whether the students were actually aware that their principal was being grinded into the asphalt underneath the rubber soles of their canvas shoes would have been debatable. But even if they had known, it was doubtful if anyone would have the compassion to avoid stepping on him.

            Ukyo spent a moment watching the stampede smearing their 'beloved' principal further into the dust, driving their heels into his joints and causing them to contort at awkward and impossible angles. For a split-second she saw his face gazing up pleadingly, those trademark sunglasses crushed and cracked. But then she was pushed on by the sheer inertia of the students pouring through the gate and soon the principal's cries of agony had been drowned out by the stream of students that flowed into Furinkan. 

The wonders of modern communication had spread the word of the Principal's foiled in a matter of seconds and even though everyone had known that Ranma had cleared the way for them, no one was taking chances and they were all converging on that open gate with all possible speed just in case Principal Kuno somehow recovered and made another attempt to seal the gate.

            While Principal Kuno's scheme may have ultimately backfired, causing his body some really serious grief, he had also unexpectedly made a rare achievement. Seldom, if ever in the history of Furinkan High did so many students reach school before the first bell went. Again, the residents of Nerima saw this as a sign that things had been changing for the better and many adults, awed at the near-religious fervor with which their children attended school that day would also be present at the first meeting of the Blessed Circuit of Parents for Enlightenment Through A Furinkan Education.

            Of course it was safe to assume that Principal Kuno was not entirely thrilled at the thought of his school becoming the focal point of a new faith. But before the end of the day, his broken body had to be MEDEVACed to the nearest hospital by way of helicopter. For almost a week, the doctors would argue over which of his many injuries to treat first. It would take another week of haggling as the senior physicians at the hospital realized that they were dealing with a very rare case of multiple injuries and Principal Kuno would spend another four weeks, sedated most of the time as he was brought to various medical institutions around the country, serving as a hot topic for debate in trauma treatment and also being used as a live specimen patient at the medical faculties of a few universities as well.

            Despite what passed for progress in the world at large, some things still never changed.

            She had avoided him again at school. Just as she had most of the time. It wasn't until he had actually sat down to observe her during class time that he realized just how lonely she really was. During recess, she would slip always slip away and he had never bothered to find out where she'd go to . . . till now.

            It had taken most of the recess time to track her down discreetly. He had informed Akane of his intentions of course and she had helped as well. They had finally found her on the roof of the building, staring up at the sky and sighing to herself.

            It was at exactly at that moment that Ranma's nerve had failed him. The words had been stuck in his throat and just when Akane had goaded him into action, Ukyo had turned around and this time, both of them had been stuck, unable to say anything more than 'hi'.

            Before any one could say anything else, the bell had gone and the trio wordlessly joined the stream of students trudging back to class to resume lessons. It had galled Ranma that this was the first time in months that they had a full recess since Principal Kuno had a habit of shortening the rest period whenever he felt like it. (Readers will of course note that it was no lesser man than Ranma who had been responsible for incapacitating the principal that day.

            The rest of the day had crawled by. Without the madcap interruptions of their clinically insane headmaster, the teachers had been left to pursue their own devices. In the absence of the guiding spirit of their schoolmaster, the teachers had tried their utmost to teach real lessons. But far too many of them had been under the influence of Principal Kuno for far too long and their performance had been characteristically lackluster. 

            Even with school ending an hour earlier than normal due to a total lack of interest by all parties followed shortly by a total breakdown in discipline. Ukyo Kounji had made good use of the widespread confusion to slip away into the faceless mass of students pressing out the gate in the same manner they had entered in the morning.

            Ranma had seen her go and had tried to catch up, but it had been no use. Ukyo had been too fast and he had been slowed down by having to wait for Akane. But if they couldn't find her in school, there was always one other place to go . . .

            "Good afternoon and welcome to Ucch . . ."Ukyo stopped dead at the sight of that familiar, pigtailed youth stepping into her restaurant. He was alone.

            "Hello, Ucchan."

            "Ranma." She acknowledged him with the briefest of nods and returned to cleaning her grill. There were a few other customers in her restaurant. Peak hour had been over for quite awhile.

            "Hey, aren't you going to serve me? Ranma flashed her one of his famous cocky grins as he sat himself down at the grill.

            "I didn't hear you order."

            She saw the slight shock registering on his face and she grit her teeth, hardening her heart. She had to get him out of her life. If he couldn't be her fiancé, then he shouldn't be in her life at all.

            "Well, I thought you'd always cook me my usual."

            "And what would that be? I don't remember the preferences of all my customers." She said coldly. "Only the regulars."

            This time, she knew her words had really struck home and she saw him actually recoiling as if he had been struck. There was a hurt look on his face too though she tried her best not to notice it. 

            "What's wrong, Ucchan? What have I done to deserve this?" Ranma seemed to be genuinely perplexed. 

            "What have _you_ done?" Ukyo felt herself exploding now, losing her slight grip on her bottle-up anger. "What have _I _done to deserve this?"

            "Huh?"

            "Damn it, Ranma! I _loved _you! Couldn't you see that? Didn't you know that?" A small voice inside her head told her that she ought to maintain her calm, but she found herself incapable of stopping herself from shouting. 

            "Please, Ucchan . . ."

            "Oh, don't you 'Please, Ucchan' me, mister!" Ukyo cut him off with a vicious gesture. "I don't want to hear it!"

            "Come on, Ucchan. Listen to me . . ." He said as he hopped over the grill and he knelt next to her.

            "Listen to you?" She felt herself going hysterical now. "Why should I when you've never listened to _me_?" _Control_, _Ukyo_ . . . _control_ . . . She tried to fight the anger and hate but there seemed to be no way to stop it. 

            A very small part of her began to worry now. _Will we ever be able to speak to each other again after this_? She felt her fists bunching up. This was the man whom she had loved so selflessly. And he was the very same man who had told her she was cute and then cast her aside for that . . . that _tomboy_._ Is this the end of our friendship_? _Is this how you really want to end it_? 

            _Damn right it is_.

            _But you don't have the guts to end it now_.

            _Oh, yeah_? _All he needs is to give me one more excuse_ . . .

            "Hey, this isn't fair . . ." Ranma protested.

            "Since when did you ever care about fair?" Ukyo snapped and she felt the first tear beginning to trickled out the edge of her eye. "Do you think it's fair? The way you've treated me after all this time?"

            "Hey, Ukyo. I'm sorry, but . . ."

            "Sorry? But what? But I'm not cute enough for you? But you were just playing around with my feelings? What?" The tears were streaming down uncontrollably down her cheeks now. Her voice was breaking now. "I hate you, Ranma Saotome. I wish I'd never met you!"

            "Ukyo . . ." Ranma reached out to her.

            "No! Just leave me alone and go away!" She finally let go and screamed at him with all the anger, frustration and hate that had been stored up inside her. "Get out of my restaurant now!"

            There was a loud crash and both of them thought they actually felt the earth move. Ukyo felt a sudden blast of heat and the temperature in the restaurant rose abruptly. For a split-second, she thought the grill had caught fire since her customers were fleeing in terror.

            She saw that her grill had been reduced to a twisted wreck, the folds and cracks all emanating for a single point where a fist had been driven into it. _What the hell_ . . .? 

            Looking through tear-blurred eyes, she traced the fist to its owner and was stunned to find out who it was. Standing before her with his fist rammed into her precious grill was a familiar boy with a bulging backpack. His clothes were torn in some places, his unruly hair held in place only by a dirty, yellow bandana. Apart from the deplorable state of his clothing, multiple bruises and lacerations on his body and the fact that his eyes seemed to be emitting a strange greenish-yellow glow, he looked none the worse for wear.

            "Ryoga?" Ukyo gasped through her sobs.

            "Uh, Ryoga . . ." Ranma winced as the grilled continued to sizzle around the pig-boy's wrist. "That's hot, you know?" The glow had spread so that Ryoga was now silhouetted in light.

            "A girl in tears . . ." Ryoga said in a low, dangerous voice. "She told you to get out . . ."

            "Uh, Ryoga? Ehehehe . . . it's not what you're thinking . . ." Ranma said nervously, finally beginning to realize what was going on.

            "YOU BASTARD!" Ryoga lunged with his umbrella, Ranma narrowly avoiding the blow. "NOW YOU DIE!"

            "Uh . . . guys?" Ukyo blinked in surprised as Ryoga pulled his other hand out of the splintered grill. He was bringing his umbrella around again for another strike even as he roared.

            Observers would say that they felt a rush of heat that day a split-second before downtown Nerima was engulfed in a great sphere of brilliant light.

            And meanwhile, high in orbit over Earth, the KEYHOLE satellite continued to snap pictures, relaying the latest in a set of disturbing images to the CIA folks at Langley.

**Endnotes: **Ok. I've learnt my lesson. I shan't promise when the next episode will be. But right now, I can tell you that it's tentatively titled: The Breaking Point Part II – The Tides of War.

Well, hopefully I'd be posting again soon. This is really one of those episodes where things really go to shit (pardon the expression). We all know how cocky and infuriating Ranma can get and Ryoga's already worked up so you can expect a fair amount of carnage in the next episode. Don't worry, no one dies. J

The year-end is coming soon. I'd be moving around the region. Some of it being official military business and the rest of it being personal recreation etc. Then there's the usual year-end work to settle plus the fact that I'm hoping to finish the first book of my Arcadian Conflicts series on fictionpress.com. It's a bleak picture, ain't it. But I do enjoy writing this as a distraction so you can be assured that it will be continued. It's just the pace . . . 

Till next time then!


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